Abducted Love
by LuvDuchess
Summary: Kagome, fed up with Inuyasha running off with Kikyo, decides to run away but is intercepted by none other than the Band of Seven. A moment's lust with the group's leader triggers new emotions in Kagome and Bankotsu. R
1. Chapter 1

Author' note: Hi everybody! Okay let's see My cousin and I co-wrote this story long ago and we had an interesting conversation about what we predicted would happen on Inuyasha once all of the Shichinintai got together. Of course being fangirls we had to write a fic about Bankotsu and Kagome. They are my fav pairs besides Inu/Kag and Sessy/Kag .

Disclaimer: Of course I do not own Inuyasha and or its characters...they belong to Rumiko Takahashi. If I did own them...well let's just say I wouldn't have to write fics!XD

It was nightfall, maybe a quarter to midnight. They were all exhausted from their previous ordeal with the band of seven. First they were nearly killed from Mukotsu's deadly poison, next they were nearly burned to death in the temple fire started by Renkotsu, and finally, they were nearly burnt to a crisp again by Renkotsu. Kagome slowly opened her eyes and looked around. It was silent, dead silent. The only sounds that could be heard was the crackling fire and the sound of Shippo snoring next to her. Upon her inspection of the campground, she noticed Inuyasha's absence.

Kagome slowly climbed out of her sleeping bag and stood up. 'Inuyasha...where are you?' she thought. She carefully tip-toed over Shippo and the rest of her friends, cautious not to disturb them. She then headed off into the forest, when a bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. There would only be one explanation for Inuyasha's disappearance in the middle of the night, but she silently prayed that her predictions weren't true. She continued to trudge through the forest in search of the hanyou. Kagome looked up and noticed a soul collector floating above, apparently transporting a new soul.

Kagome gasped lightly. 'Kikyo's soul collectors. Could it be...' Kagome shook the thought from her head and continued walking forward until she came across a small clearing in the forest. Kagome quickly hid behind a nearby tree, when all of her predictions came true. There she saw Kikyo and Inuyasha kissing each other as if the world were going to end. Kagome closed her eyes and looked away. She felt the tears welling in her eyes, but she refused to cry. Out of all the times she caught them together, she had never seen them like this.

Kagome's lips then curled up into a wry smile. 'What did I expect...he does love Kikyo after all, but...I feel so stupid!' he mind screamed. Kagome left the kissing pair and ran deeper into the forest, but not back to the campsite. She needed to be alone at the moment, or perhaps she wasn't thinking clearly. She could have run into all sorts of demons or even worse.

Kagome nearly screamed, but instead she quickly jumped behind a large bush, hiding her herself from view. 'Oh no, it's the...'

It was the band of seven, or better yet the band of four. Kouga had slain the first resurrected member, Kyoukotsu, and Sesshoumaru had struck down Mukotsu. The ground was shaking from the contraption known as Ginkotsu. His metal claws were digging up the earth, grinding and obliterating anything in its path. Riding on Ginkotsu, was the remainder of the band of seven. Renkotsu, Jakotsu, Suikotsu, and another member that she wasn't familiar with.

Renkotsu scanned the area with his snake-like eyes. They were all heading towards the village where the warriors had slain them years ago. Now that the strongest members of their group had assembled it was time for them to get their revenge. His eyes wandered over to the man with the long raven braid, standing proudly in front. 'That bastard.' he thought bitterly. He was the one that had made all of the necessary preparations to bring their group back to power and then he shows up and takes the lead position. After all, he was second in command in the band of seven. His head snapped to the side at the sound of rustling bushes. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, it was that girl. "Ginkotsu, stop." he ordered.

"Gersh." Ginkotsu said in his gruff, mechanical voice.

The raven haired man turned around to face his subordinate. "What's the big idea, Renkotsu?" he asked.

Renkotsu smirked and looked over to the bushes. "Over there," he started. Every member of the band of seven turned their heads to the bushes. "I see that woman, Inuyasha's wench." he stated. The man with the long braid looked around.

"What, where, I don't see anything, what are you talking about?!" the man said.

Renkotsu sighed and spaced his fingers apart and five strands of thread flew towards the branches surrounding the area. Seconds later the thread combusted with fire blazing anything in its path.

Kagome leapt from the bushes with a loud yelp. She could've escaped long ago but she was afraid to move away from her hiding place, which wasn't much of one in the first place since she was discovered. She tried to avoid the flames that were burning everything around her. She did a quick side roll and escaped the fiery tent the flames had created around her. She stood up and pointed a finger at the man with the bald head. "Hey, you! Watch where you're aiming that!" she yelled.

Renkotsu laughed at the young woman. "It seems that Inuyasha has abandoned you. Has he no use for you now?" he said with a smirk.

Kagome didn't know what bothered her about what he had said. Maybe it was true, Inuyasha did abandon her. He had abandoned her for Kikyo. And maybe he didn't have a use for her since Kikyo had the ability to see the shards as well. Inuyasha had been so preoccupied with Kikyo that he didn't even pick up the scent of the band of seven. His nose was probably filled with the scent of clay and bones rather the scent of graveyard soil that emitted from the band of seven. Kagome remained silent.

Renkotsu smirked once more. "It seems that it is so. Jakotsu, get rid of her." he ordered. Maybe this was finally their chance to rid of one of Inuyasha's wretched friends.

Jakotsu pointed at himself. "Huh? Why me?" he whined.

Renkotsu sneered at him. "Because I ordered you to!" he yelled.

Jakotsu sighed heavily and jumped down from Ginkotsu. He held up his Jakotsutou and stalked towards Kagome. Kagome cowered back in fear. Jakotsu had a wicked smile decorating his face. "Don't worry, this will be quick, but I have to warn you that it won't be painless." he reassured. Jakotsu lifted his sword and sliced it towards the woman.

"Stop." the raven haired man ordered.

Jakotsu gasped and stumbled a bit as he tried to prevent the Jakotsutou from hitting the woman. He glanced back at the man. "Hey, what's up with that, Bankotsu, I was going to slice her into tiny pieces."he complained.

Kagome opened her eyes and saw a few strands of her bangs float down from her head. She sighed in relief. 'Whew, that was close.' she thought. She then looked over to the man with the long braid, Bankotsu. 'Another member of the band of seven...' she thought.

Renkotsu glared at Bankotsu, the leader of the band of seven. He crossed his arms across his chest. "Why have you spared her? We have no use for her." he said sternly.

Bankotsu jumped down from Ginkotsu and looked back at Renkotsu. "You said that she's Inuyasha's wench, we could use her as bait." he plotted.

Jakotsu stared at him in confusion. He put a finger to his red painted lips. "Or she could help us find the jewel shards. I heard that she possesses the power to locate jewel shards." he added. He looked over to Suikotsu, who was still unconscious. He was still struggling with his other personality.

Bankotsu looked over to Jakotsu in awe. "She can see the jewel shards!? That's great! We'll definitely have use for her." he said with a grin.

Jakotsu clasped his hands together and stared off into the sky with a dreamy look. "Yeah, and then Inuyasha will come to look for her. I'll get to see my Inuyasha again!" he said with glee.

It was official, he was on a team with idiots. How did Bankotsu plan to face Inuyasha when he didn't even have his Banryuu? They were heading towards the village to retrieve his weapon until they came across this woman. Renkotsu shook his head slowly. "If we're going take her, let's do it now. Jakotsu, get her and let's go." he ordered.

Kagome stared at the murderous men in fright. It was now that she wished that she had gone back to the campsite rather than wander off. She was in deep trouble now, and no one was there to help her. She didn't even have her bow and arrows with her. 'Oh, no, this is bad, this is really bad.' she thought. Her eyes were as wide as saucers now. "Y-You're going to kidnap me?" she said in a shaky voice.

Jakotsu sighed again. "Why are you always asking me to do everything? Jakotsu this, Jakotsu that?" he whined as he walked over to Kagome, who made no protests or attempt to run. He reached out to Kagome and grabbed the bow tie of her uniform. "Come on, wench!" he said with a huff as he pulled her along with him over to Ginkotsu. He roughly threw her onto the metal contraption before hopping on himself. The band of seven, now with Kagome in their grasps, rode off into the night.

It was early in the morning, probably around seven. Inuyasha jumped from branch to branch, making his way back to the campsite. Upon his arrival he noticed Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara were just standing around.

Inuyasha landed in front of them. "Hey, where's Kagome?" he asked.

Sango and Miroku looked over to Inuyasha. "We don't know, when we woke up she was gone." Sango said.

"Where have you been, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha grunted and ignored his question. Shippo could be heard whining from behind Miroku. Shippo leapt onto Miroku's shoulder and pointed an angry finger at Inuyasha. "It's all your fault that's she's gone Inuyasha!" he cried. "You went with Kikyo didn't you? I saw a soul collector last night." he blabbered.

Inuyasha grunted again and clenched his fists. "Shut your mouth, Shippo!" he yelled.

Sango shook her head as she stared at Inuyasha. "You went to see Kikyo last night? Do you think Kagome-..." Sango was interrupted by Miroku.

Miroku sighed. "Look, we all know what happened, let's just concentrate on finding Kagome."he suggested. "Inuyasha, can you pick up her scent?"

Inuyasha sniffed the air and his eyes widened in horror. "Damn it!" he cursed as he jumped off into the forest. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara followed him.

Inuyasha jumped through the forest quickly as he began to pick up the remainder of Kagome's scent. But he wondered why he could pick up the scent of graveyard soil as well. 'Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn...'he cursed in his mind. 'Kagome, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been...' he trailed off as he skidded to a stop. He could see a strange trail left behind where it like as if the earth had been dug up. He could smell the graveyard soil heavily in the area. He heard Miroku and the others run up behind him, huffing and puffing slightly.

Miroku scanned the area. "What is it, Inuyasha? Did you pick up her scent?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I can smell graveyard soil also." he said, trying to hold back his emotions. There were a million things running through his mind at the moment. Kagome was missing and it was all his fault. What was worse about the scenario was that the band of seven had probably taken her.

Sango gasped. "You mean that she was taken by the band of seven!" Shippo started crying.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and punched his fist into the ground. "Kagome!!!" he yelled. "I'll kill every last one of 'em!" he vowed in anger. He jumped up and began running after the faint scent that lingered in the air consisting of Kagome's and those zombie bastards.

Ginkotsu rode towards the village with the rest of his team riding on him. They were almost at the village where they were slain several years ago. It was time to get their revenge. Kagome had remained silent for the ride there. Why would she say anything to them in the first place? She glanced over to Suikotsu and noticed that he was the only member of the band of seven that was unconscious. Could it be possible that the good in him was still struggling within him. Despite that he still looked like a murderous killer with the rake claws and war paint on his face. She then stared at Jakotsu. Jakotsu could feel eyes burning into the back of his head and turned around with a sneer.

"Why do you have a butterfly hairpin in your hair? Kagome asked. It was pretty, but it was something that a man should never wear.

Jakotsu gave her an evil glare. "Because I like it, mind your own business WENCH!!!" he yelled while clenching his fists. He narrowed his eyes. "You're the one with the strange clothes."

Kagome grunted in a low voice. "You're the one with your kimono rolled up in the back!" she said while unfolding it with one tug. She had never seen a man dress as strangely as he did.

"You stupid bitch. Oh no you didn't." he yelled while backslapping her. Kagome gasped in shock as she grabbed her sore cheek.

"Hey none of that."Bankotsu yelled pulling Kagome closer to him and held her with one arm. "We need her for the shard hunt after this." he reminded.

"Yeah you better keep her by you. Because I'll kill that wench." He yelled. "Now we have to stop so I can fix it." Jakotsu whined.

Renkotsu glared at Jakotsu with distaste. "Why don't you wear it right? You make a mockery out of this group! We'll keep going you catch up when you're finish." he said.

"No we'll wait." Bankotsu corrected.

"Gersh." Ginkotsu said as he halted to a stop. Jakotsu jumped off and fixed his kimono.

Suikotsu slowly opened his eyes and grunted. He sat up slowly. "What happened?" he said in a gruff voice. He grabbed his head with his metal-clawed hand.

Jakotsu jumped back onto Ginkotsu. "Hey Suikotsu, you're up!" He beamed. Ginkotsu took off towards the village shortly after.

Renkotsu looked over to him. "You got too close to Mt. Hakurei, we had to flee from the area. Now we're heading to the village to get our revenge and retrieve Bankotsu's Banryuu." he said. He had to get Suikotsu up to date.

Suikotsu stood up and looked down at the girl dressed in the strange green and white clothing. "Who is she?" he said as he lifted his claws up towards her.

Kagome shrieked and closed her eyes. She guessed that he was no longer the kind-hearted Dr. Suikotsu. Bankotsu turned around and smirked. "She's Inuyasha's wench. We're using her to find the shikon jewel shards. Plus, she'll be good bait to lure that Inuyasha to us." he said.

Kagome looked up ahead and noticed that they were getting closer to the village. 'Oh, no, that's the village they were talking about attacking, I have to stop them.' she thought. Renkotsu jumped behind the guns on Ginkotsu.

Renkotsu laughed. "We're here!" he announced. "Ginkotsu, fire!" he yelled.

"Gersh!" Ginkotsu said. He aimed his cannons straight for the village and fired. The explosion hit the center of the village and a lot of screams and cries could be heard from within.

Suikotsu jumped off and readied his claws. "It's time to make those bastards pay!" he yelled as he ran down into the village.

Bankotsu threw his fist into the air. "That's the spirit Suikotsu!" he yelled.

Jakotsu jumped off as well with his Jakotsutou in hand. "Hey, Bankotsu, you should stay back and let us handle this. We'll get your weapon for you, big brother." he said.

Bankotsu looked over to Jakotsu and smiled. "Thanks, but I want to kill the bastard who killed us!" He said. "I'm coming with you." he said.

Renkotsu cleared his throat. "I don't suppose you're going to leave me to watch the girl." he said with a glare. "Listen to Jakotsu and stay behind until we rid of anyone who opposes against us." he said. Renkotsu dismounted from Ginkotsu and headed towards the village.

Bankotsu sighed and hopped back onto Ginkotsu. He sat down Indian style next to Kagome. Kagome was puzzled. Wasn't he supposed to be the leader of the band of seven? Why was he letting Renkotsu boss him around? "That damn Remkotsu. I'm supposed to be the leader, not him!" Bankotsu said. He watched as Suikotsu slashed up several villagers and the guards who protected the castle. Renkotsu was constantly drinking his strange concoction and spewing fire from his mouth. Jakotsu was flinging his sword around wildly with a sick smile spread across his face. Bankotsu laughed. "At this rate there won't be anyone left for me to kill." he smirked.

Kagome watched in horror as the villagers were sliced and burned to death by the crazed men. Ginkotsu fired his cannon once in a while to aid his brothers in battle, even from afar. Kagome shrieked as the machine rumbled from Ginkotsu's fire power. "This is horrible!" she cried out.

Bankotsu cocked his head back and narrowed his eyes and the girl. "Shut up, wench! Sit back and enjoy the show." he laughed.

Kagome grunted and glared at him. She clenched her fists and yelled, "My name isn't WENCH!!! It is KAGOME, K-A-G-O-M-E. You got that!!!" she screamed.

Bankotsu stood up and Kagome flinched, expecting to get slapped again. She had already received such harsh treatment from Jakotsu. Instead, he just jumped up, pumping his fists into the air and yelling encouragements to his brothers. "Hey, that's what I'm talking about. Cut their damn heads off!" he yelled out.

The battle was getting intense. Their had to be hundreds of the warriors and the band of seven was defeating them with ease. Ginkotsu fired his cannons again and Bankotsu continued to shout out to his friends. They were both distracted. 'This is my chance to escape. I can slip off unnoticed.' Kagome thought. Kagome looked to her right and noticed that there was nothing but a thick forested area. Even if they did discover that she was gone, they'd have a hard time finding her. Kagome slid off of Ginkotsu and quickly, but cautiously ran into the forest.

Bankotsu was extremely pleased with the destruction that his friends caused. He was going to be reunited with his baby in a few short minutes. He turned his head back to look down at the girl. "Are you enjoying the show, wench?" his said. His eyes narrowed when he noticed that she was no longer there. He looked up at Ginkotsu. "Hey! Where the hell did she go?!" he yelled. Out the corner of his eye he spotted something green and white disappearing into the forest. Bankotsu smirked. "So, you wanna play a game of cat and mouse, eh?" He jumped off of Ginkotsu and dashed after the escapee.

"Gersh." Ginkotsu said.

Kagome continued to run through the forest wildly. All sorts of branches slapped against her legs, some leaving red marks. She yelped when she tripped over a fallen tree and fell face first into the dirt. She got onto her hands and knees and looked behind her. She gasped when she saw Bankotsu approaching her quickly. 'He followed me!' her mind cried. 'Get up, Kagome, hurry!' she thought as she stumbled to her feet and broke out into a run again.

Bankotsu laughed again as the girl tried to flee from him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, pushing him even more. She was his prey and he was the hunter. He noticed how slow she was running and he could tell that she was tiring. He was only and few feet behind her now. "You can run but you can't hide!" he yelled out.

Kagome tried to run down the large hill carefully so that she wouldn't go tumbling down. Her cautiousness was generally wasted when she was tackled from behind. She screamed as they both went tumbling down the steep hill. What was worse about the long tumble was the fact that Bankotsu was latched onto her back during the entire fall. After what seemed like an eternity, the fall finally came to a halt. Bankotsu rolled her over and straddled her with his legs, pinning her down with his weight. He pinned her down hard. "So you thought you could escape, huh?" he smirked.

Bankotsu looked at his surroundings and looked back at Kagome. "I haven't been this close to a woman in a long time." he said with a charming smile. Not counting the years he was dead, it had been a while.

'What is he talking about?' Kagome thought. For some reason her heart began to beat wildly. He looked at Kagome, and she looked back at him, now there eyes are locked. 'Strangely I can't manage to tear my eyes away from his.' Kagome thought. She noticed that his eyes were a beautiful cerulean color, they were so unique. She had been in a similar predicament with another member of the band of seven, but Bankotsu wasn't repulsive at all. It was something about him that separated him from the other members of the band of seven, but what?

Bankotsu kissed her roughly and Kagome returned the kiss, to his and her surprise. Their adrenaline was already pumping hard from the chase. Bankotsu let go of her arms and grabbed her shirt and yanked it off.

He looked at her bra strangely "What is this?" he said in confusion.

"I got it."she said while unsnapping it from the front, revealing her small, perky breasts. She couldn't believe that she was doing with an enemy, who was a zombie, or whatever Inuyasha usually called them. At this moment she had completely forgotten about Inuyasha and Kikyo and what was right and wrong.

He continued kissing her while removing the rest of clothing. Kagome kicked off her shoes to help him. She's removing his armor and clothing as well. There Bankotsu lay on top of Kagome, both completely nude. He began kissing her neck, Kagome moaned while running her fingers through his hair. His hair had unraveled during the tumble down the hill, now it hung freely, falling past his waist in wavy curls. He kissed his way down her body until he reached her maidenhood. Kagome moaned loudly in satisfaction, experiencing a pleasure beyond her imagination. Bankotsu continued pleasuring Kagome, and she continued moaning. There they lay in the grass completely consumed in the passion of their lovemaking, oblivious to anything else in their surroundings.

Bankotsu leaned down and kissed Kagome. Kagome grabbed his face and returned the kiss. She pulled him down onto her and rotated herself on top. Bankotsu was surprised by her aggressiveness and smiled before their lips forcefully met again.

Then they heard Jakotsu's voice from afar. "Bankotsu, where are you!? Ow, this thing is heavy!"

They got up and quickly began putting on their clothes. Once they were fully dressed Bankotsu grabbed Kagome's arms and pinned them behind her back as if he captured her.

Kagome winced in slight pain. "Ow, that hurts!" she said while looking back at him.

"Sorry, but you did try to escape, I didn't forget about that." he said with a smirk. They both traveled back up the large hill and through the forest. After five minutes they made it back to the others.

Renkotsu had his arms crossed against his chest as he glared at them. "Where were you two?" Renkotsu asked. He noticed that he and the girl were covered in dirt and small pieces of grass and leaves in their hair. Then, for some unknown reason, Bankotsu's hair had come undone. Bankotsu never played around with his hair, so why would he take it down?

Jakotsu gaped at Bankotsu. "Your beautiful hair! It took me all last night to braid it perfectly! What did you do!?" Jakotsu cried. He then glared over to Kagome. "What's going on here?" he said, pointing his sword in Kagome's direction.

Bankotsu walked over to Ginkotsu with Kagome in hand. "The wench tried to escape and I had to chase after her. I fell down a huge hill!" he explained.

Renkotsu wasn't buying it, not for one minute. "A hill?" he questioned. "What hill, big brother?" he asked skeptically.

Bankotsu clenched his fists. "Hey, I nearly broke my neck in that fall!" he yelled. "Shouldn't you all be worried!?" he asked. He then looked over to Jakotsu and walked towards him. He flung his arm around Jakotsu's neck. "You believe me, eh buddy?" he said with a grim while he gave him a noogie.

Jakotsu laughed. "Hey, stop it!" he said.

Renkotsu shook his head. "Bankotsu, we have retrieved your Banryuu. But we couldn't leave you any action in the village" he said. They had killed everyone.

Bankotsu looked over to his Banryuu, which was stuck into the ground. It had been too long and now he was finally reunited with his weapon. He began walking towards it and he lifted it from the ground. "My baby! It's been too long!" he said.

"Kagome!!!" Inuyasha's voice rang out, capturing the attention of the shichinintai.

Kagome looked up and her eyes began to sparkle. "Inuyasha!!!" she yelled back.

Jakotsu looked up as well and his eyes began to sparkle. "Inuyasha!!! He has come for me!" he said as he clasped his hands together.

Renkotsu smirked. "Well, it looks like we have guests. Ginkotsu, let's entertain them." he said.

"Gersh!" Ginkotsu said as he turned his cannons towards Inuyasha and company and fired.

Inuyasha jumped out of the way of the cannons with ease. Sango rode on Kirara's back along with Miroku and Shippo. Inuyasha skidded to a stop and glared at the zombie warriors. He then noticed that Kagome's uniform was slightly dirty. "Kagome, are you all right!?" he asked.

Kagome nodded. " Yeah, I'm all right!" she responded. She then began to blush as she suddenly thought about the events that occurred between herself and Bankotsu. She didn't even feel guilty about what she had done.

Bankotsu looked over to Kagome and noticed that she was blushing then he directed his attention towards Inuyasha. Was she in love with this Inuyasha? He smirked. "So, you're the infamous Inuyasha! I was wondering when I would get a chance to meet you.!" he said. He lifted up his Banryuu and headed towards him.

Inuyasha growled in anger. Whoever he was, he wreaked of graveyard soil so he was definitely part of the shichinintai. "And who the hell are you?!" he asked, glaring at him.

The corner of Bankotsu's mouth rose up into a smirk. "I'm Bankotsu, the leader of the shichinintai! You're in way over your head if you think you can defeat me!" he boasted.

Inuyasha unsheathed his tetsusaiga. "You bastard, let Kagome go!" he yelled. He didn't give a damn if this guy was the leader of the band of seven, but he did look pretty threatening with that huge ass halberd.

Bankotsu smirked again. "No. You'll have to fight for her if you want her back!" he yelled as he jumped into the air spinning his banryuu around. Inuyasha jumped into the air and his tetsusaiga clashed with the banryuu.

Renkotsu smirked. He had it all figured out now. It wasn't like Bankotsu to keep hostages around. The band of seven never relied on hostages to aid their plans. The girl had served her purpose, Inuyasha had come for her as he figured. Bankotsu had a soft spot for the girl, that explained their disappearance. But sadly, he was the only one who would ever notice. Renkotsu looked up and noticed a large boomerang headed his way and he quickly dodged it. Five strands of thread shot from his fingers and wrapped around Sango's hiraikotsu and combusted with fire.

Miroku and Kirara ran to Sango's aid. Kirara roared as she landed down in front of Renkotsu, forcing him to let go of the threads. Renkotsu smirked and picked up his jug. "I've got something for you as well." he said as he took a swig from it and spit it out in the form of fire. Kirara moved out of the way of the fire quickly.

Miroku held up his staff as Suikotsu began slashing his claws at him. Suikotsu laughed evilly. "You don't think that puny staff will stand a chance against my claws do you?"

Miroku gritted his teeth as he was being pushed back slightly from Suikotsu's force. "We'll see!" he said.

Bankotsu knocked Inuyasha back and watched as he fell to the ground. He jumped into the air and swung his Banryuu down towards Inuyasha. "Is that the best you can do!" he laughed.

Inuyasha rolled out of the way quickly as the Banryuu crashed against the ground. "Damn it!" he cursed. 'I have to use my wind scar.' he thought.

Renkotsu spewed fire at the woman riding on the large cat and she dodged it easily. "Hiraikotsu!" Sango yelled as she threw her weapon towards him. It looked like a definite hit this time. 'Got him!' Sango thought.

"I don't think so!" Jakotsu yelled as he flung his sword to strike the large boomerang. The strike averted Sango's hiraikotsu from its target. "You didn't think that it would be that easy, did you?" he laughed.

"Now it's time to end this!" Renkotsu said as he used both hands to fling the fiery thread around the large cat and woman. "Now die!" he yelled as he watched them burn.

Kagome's eyes widened in horror. "Oh no, Sango!" she cried. She ran towards them until she felt a hand grip her hair and snatch her back. She yelped in pain as she hit the rocky ground.

Jakotsu narrowed his eyes at her. "Where do you think you're going, wench?" he said. He looked down as he felt something furry brush against his leg. "Hm." he said as he looked down to see a small fox. "A weasel dog?" Jakotsu said as he scratched his head.

"I'm a fox! Take this!" Shippo yelled. Shippo did his famous spinning top trick and watched as Jakotsu ran away from the large spinning top that chased him around in circles.

With a bow and a quiver of arrows in his small hands, Shippo ran up to Kagome. Kagome got up and looked down at him. "My bow. Thanks Shippo!" she said as she picked them up and ran to help her friends. She picked up an arrow and drew it back and aimed it at the threads that bound and burned Sango. She shot the arrow and the purple aura filled with her spiritual powers surrounded it. The arrow hit the threads and they snapped instantly.

Sango fell from the sky as well as Kirara. With the last ounce of her strength, Kirara safely landed on the ground before collapsing. Kagome quickly rushed to her aid. She lifted Sango's head onto her lap, but she was unconscious.

Inuyasha slid back as the Banryuu clashed against his sword again. Bankotsu laughed. "I don't see why they've been having so much trouble with you! This is too easy!" he boasted.

"We'll see about that you bastard!" he yelled. He lifted his sword up and wind began to swirl around it. He aimed and sliced it towards Bankotsu. "Wind scar!!!" he yelled.

Bankotsu's eyes widened as he was hit by surprise from the powerful attack from Inuyasha's sword. He flew several feet back and crashed against the ground, nearly unconscious. His face was covered with smudges of dirt and he barely had the strength to stand up. 'That power...what was it?' he thought. His body ached all over

Inuyasha walked up to him with his sword resting on his shoulder. "Heh, how do you like the power of my wind scar?" he said cockily.

The other members of the band of seven were shocked to see their leader go down. Suikotsu stopped his battle with Miroku and jumped backed towards Renkotsu. Renkotsu glared at the hanyou. "We'll have to make a swift retreat." he said. Jakotsu, who was resting on the ground panting after being chased by the trick spin top relentlessly, jumped up onto the large machine. Ginkotsu fired his cannons at Inuyasha while heading towards their leader as an diversion so that they could retrieve Bankotsu. Jakotsu jumped down from the machine and helped Bankotsu up before leaping back on. Ginkotsu then quickly rode of with all of his brothers. Jakotsu looked down at Bankotsu's face as his head rested on his lap.

"Talk to me, Bankotsu! Are you okay?" he asked with worry.

Bankotsu was half conscious at the moment, but he had heard Jakotsu' s voice. But for some unknown reason, the image of that girl popped into his mind. "Ka...gome." he said before he slipped into unconsciousness. Jakotsu just stared down at him in awe.

"Come back here!" Inuyasha yelled as he chased after the mechanical menace.

"I...nu...ya...sha!" Ginkotsu said as he fired his cannons again to prevent him from following them.

Inuyasha jumped back and covered his face as smoke and dust blew everywhere from the blast. "Cowards! Come back here!" he yelled. He then ran over to the rest of his friends with hops and jumps. He noticed Sango's current state. He noticed that she was slightly burned from Renkotsu's fire, but it wasn't anything serious.

Miroku lifted Sango up into his arms while Shippo helped Kirara, who transformed back into her smaller form. "We have to get find somewhere to settle down to rest, Inuyasha." Miroku said.

Inuyasha nodded. He looked over to Kagome and noticed that she was looking into the direction the band of seven fled in. He walked beside Kagome and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Kagome, are you all right?" he asked with worry. She nodded. He figured that she was traumatized from being held captive by the band of seven. "Don't worry, we'll get our revenge, Kagome." he said.

Kagome just stared off into the sky with a sad expression. 'Bankotsu...so he is the enemy afterall. The leader of the band of seven..." she thought sadly. He seemed like the most innocent and nice one out of the entire group, but he was nonetheless the enemy.

"Kagome, stop daydreaming will ya!" Inuyasha called out. She ran back over to her friends and they walked off together.

The band of seven had returned to the destroyed village later that night where they resided in the former lord's castle. Renkotsu was sitting across from Suikotsu who was sharpening his claws together. The sound of his claws raking together was working his nerves and interrupting his thought process. "Suikotsu, I think your claws are sharp enough." he said curtly.

Suikotsu ceased his actions and looked over to Renkotsu. "Apparently not. That monk was able to withstand my attacks." he said with anger.

Renkotsu closed his eyes. "It is obvious that we all need to strengthen up." he said with a smirk as he looked over to Jakotsu and Bankotsu who were sitting outside.

Jakotsu stared at Bankotsu in a mysterious fashion. He hadn't been himself since his encounter with Inuyasha earlier. He had been slightly unconscious during the ride back and the first thing he asked when he had awaken was, 'Where's Kagome'. It was quite suspicious that he would ask about her, but he figured that he really wanted her to help them find the jewel shards. Jakotsu thought that braiding his hair again would cheer him up, but he continued to sulk.

Jakotsu sighed. "Aww, come on Bankotsu, we don't need that filthy wench to help us collect jewel shards." he said, patting him on the back.

Bankotsu remained silent. He didn't understand what was wrong with him. Maybe he had been dead for too long to remember his emotions. Was he upset that he lost to Inuyasha? Was he upset about not finding any jewel shards? Or was he upset about that girl, Kagome? Bankotsu stood up and looked up into the starry sky. "We have to get stronger, Jakotsu." he said. Though he was the strongest human in the feudal era, he was human, and humans aren't perfect.

Jakotsu looked at him with a confused look. Was that why he was upset? Of course it was, for a minute he figured that it had something to do with that girl. He let out a sigh of relief. "Whew, you really had me worried there. Of course we'll get stronger and we'll defeat Inuyasha! Then I can have his cute fuzzy ears with me always." he said strangely as he licked his red lips.

Bankotsu looked down and Jakotsu and laughed. "You such a weirdo!" he laughed. He gazed into the sky once more and saw a shooting star. 'Too bad she's the enemy, I really had a nice time with you...Kagome.' he thought with a solemn look. That night he secretly added another plan on his agenda. He would succeed in defeating Inuyasha, not only to have a second chance at life, but to have a second chance with the mysterious girl from the future...Kagome.

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed it, I already have the sequel written(yeah these were written years ago) and I'll update soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Thanks for reading everyone and I appreciate the reviews. At first I was going to call this the sequel, but I guess it's really the same story so...here's chappie 2!XD

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine...sad but true! If it were I'd be making big money now wouldn't I.

The battles have been long and arduous for the last couple of days. But it was nothing new to them, for it had always been that way. Naraku reviving the Shichinintai was the worse possible thing he probably could have done. Inuyasha had been going through a lot lately, but due to his stubbornness, he refused to show it. He was extremely pissed about the outcome of his last few battles with the Shichinintai leader, Bankotsu. To everyone's mild shock, the wind scar had failed against Bankotsu's Banryuu. It seemed that the braided warrior had become stronger in the last few weeks. A simple strike from his Banryuu would send Inuyasha flying back and crashing to the ground.

Now Inuyasha was upset about his battle that took place not too long ago, but it wasn't with the Shichinintai leader. Inuyasha and Miroku were walking through the forest, on their way back to the campsite. Sango and Kagome requested some girl time and forced them to locate a hot spring for them. On their way back they had encountered the scantily clad mercenary and his Jakotsutou. Jakotsu, as always, said some pretty weird things to Inuyasha during the battle, angering him to the point where he couldn't fight properly. Jakotsu had then caught Inuyasha in his slinging blades, cutting him up pretty badly. But as always, Jakotsu fled, promising that he'd return to do battle again. Miroku had explained all of the happenings to the girls.

Inuyasha was propped on a tree branch, isolating himself from everyone else. He had a few wounds that needed to heal, not all of them physical. A few days ago, he and Kagome were fighting again, all because of her worry for him. Inuyasha wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how to word it to the point where she would accept it as an apology. He was definitely in a rut. Bankotsu had shown him up in their previous battles, Jakotsu said such sickening things to him that he rather not even think about it, and Kagome was becoming more distant from him since he hadn't given her and apology yet. Inuyasha closed his eyes slightly. 'I'm sorry, Kagome.' he thought, but he couldn't say it to her face, not yet.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kagome were sitting around the crackling fire, laughing every now and then. Miroku had been telling them a few naughty things Jakotsu had been saying to Inuyasha. "So then Inuyasha charges at him with his sword but he did a quick sidestep and avoided his attack." he explained.

There were no laughs. "Well, that's it?" Sango asked, blinking in confusion.

Kagome was equally unamused. "Yeah, so?" she added.

Miroku took a sip of his tea and whispered, "Jakotsu had given Inuyasha a quick squeeze on the butt in the process. After that it was downhill for the battle." he laughed.

Kagome and Sango burst out into a fit of laughter. Too bad Shippo had fallen asleep before the punch line. Inuyasha glared down at his chuckling group. Some friends they were, laughing at his...misfortunes. He made a mental note to avoid battle with the effeminate man in the future. He was tired of the mock battles he used as an excuse to feel him up. Inuyasha jumped down from the branch and landed in front of the laughing trio with his arms crossed. "Yo, Miroku, I'm sure if you talk any louder the freaking moon will hear ya'!" he yelled. The trio stopped laughing abruptly. He then glared at Kagome and Sango. "And I thought you two wanted to take a bath!" he yelled.

Kagome stood and gathered her toiletries. "Come on, Sango." she said before walking off. Sango stood up and followed Kagome.

Inuyasha plopped down on the ground next to Miroku with a huff. Miroku shook his head and leaned over to his friend and whispered, "So, you haven't apologized to her yet?" he said. He and Sango had noticed how distant the two seemed in the last few days. Kagome had asked Inuyasha to rest, but he ignored her and went after one of the Shichinintai instead. He had come back with such horrible injuries and everyone noted the 'I told you so' expression on Kagome's face.

Inuyasha turned his head to the side. "Nope, not yet. I've been trying to, but I can't get my words straight." he said.

Miroku sighed. "Well, I know it will come to you sooner or later, Inuyasha. Just tell her how you feel." he advised. "Then hold her in your arms and-..." he was interrupted.

Inuyasha stood up and stared down at the monk. "The day I take advice from a lecher!" he shouted. He didn't want to end up with a red hand-print on his face. Unlike Miroku, he wasn't immune to slaps yet, hell, he wasn't even immune to Kagome's 'sit' spells.

Miroku laughed. "It will be a good day indeed." With that he laid down, resting on one elbow.

Kagome relaxed into the soothing water of the hot spring and closed her eyes. "This is heaven." she said to herself. She sank down deeper into the water and submerged her entire head under water and quickly popped back up.

Sango let her hair down and plunked her head down into the water as well. "Yeah, they found a really good one this time." she said. After a few minutes of silence, Sango worked up the nerve to ask Kagome a question. "Kagome?" Sango said to capture the young girl's attention.

Kagome opened her eyes. "Hm?" she responded.

"Is there anything else bothering you, besides the Inuyasha incident? I know that he's a real jerk at times, but I feel that there's something else bothering you." she said. She couldn't help but to let her big sister persona take over from time to time.

Kagome looked down into the steamy water and wondered if she should lie as always or tell her friend the truth. She and Sango were like sisters, but she really didn't want anyone to know what was really wrong with her. It had almost been too perfect that she and Inuyasha had gotten into an argument a few days ago, so everyone assumed that she was upset about that. Kagome didn't want to lie, at least not to Sango. Kagome looked up into Sango's eyes and sighed. "Well, I guess you can say that. I-I...well, when I was taken by the band of seven, I saw some pretty horrible things." she started off into a lie. 'Come on, it's Sango, you can trust her.' she pleaded with herself. "I..." she trailed off.

Sango began to worry. She had never seen Kagome like this. She knew that Kagome was a strong girl and could handle almost anything. What happened to her when she was with the band of seven? "Kagome, you can trust me" Sango reassured.

Kagome smiled slightly. Sango was right, she was the only one she could trust with the information she was going to tell her. "All right, but you have to promise not to tell anyone." She started. Sango nodded. "I was alone with the leader of the band of seven...and one thing led to another and then...you know." she said as she looked away from her friend with shame, yet with a faint blush on her cheeks.

Sango's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. She couldn't believe it, Kagome and a ruthless killer. Her friend and the enemy. Though it was a strange coincidence, she was somewhat intrigued by all of this. "Well, was he good?" Sango asked with a sly smile.

Kagome stared at Sango with shock for a brief moment before she turned beet red. Kagome nodded her head and looked down. "I'm just so confused about my emotions at the moment." she confessed. "What should I do?"

Sango understood her completely. Inuyasha had feelings for Kagome, yet there was still Kikyo lingering in his heart. Now, Kagome still has feelings for Inuyasha, but there was the Shichinintai leader on her mind. "This has to be the best gossip yet. Why don't you just try to forget about it, Kagome?" she suggested. Truthfully, she had no idea what Kagome should do.

Kagome sighed. "But, I just can't forget about him, he was my first after all." she paused. "I think you're right, I should just leave it alone for now." she said. 'But, I notice the way he looks at me every now and then when we encounter him...he still remembers...and so do I.' she thought as she stared down into the water. After a few more minutes of bathing they both gathered their belongings and headed back to the campsite.

It was half past midnight, and the rest of his comrades were either sleep or minding their own business. It was quite cool for a spring night, but the weather was really enjoyable. He filled his bowl with more sake and sipped it quietly. Bushes rustled from the left and his eyes quickly shot to the sound. He didn't feel the need to be threatened since his trusty Banryuu was lying by his side.

Jakotsu stumbled out of the bushes with a sheepish smile. He waved as he headed over to him. "Hey, Bankotsu, I'm back!" he announced.

Bankotsu took one last sip of sake before setting it down. "Yo, Jakotsu, you did some Inuyasha hunting? From the look on your face I know you didn't kill him." he stated.

Jakotsu folded his arms and plopped down next to Bankotsu. "Of course I didn't, though I wanted to. I know that you want to chop off his head, but he's mine." Jakotsu said. "Hey, pour me some of that sake."

Bankotsu dipped a small bowl in the barrel of sake and handed it to him. "Here you go." he said. He watched as Jakotsu quickly drank from it. "Hey, slow down." he said with a laugh.

Jakotsu set the bowl down and looked at Bankotsu. "So, what are our plans for tomorrow? Do we kill Kouga, Sesshoumaru, or Inuyasha? I know you've got something planned." he said. They had been lazing around lately, but it wasn't like he was complaining or anything. It was Naraku he was worried about.

Bankotsu crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Hm, nope! We'll just wait until some action comes to us. I'm sure dog boy will come sniffing around sooner or later." he said with a smirk. He was anticipating his next battle with Inuyasha. He couldn't wait to send him home with his tail between his legs.

Unbeknownst to the two, a pair of eyes were watching them. Renkotsu couldn't believe that Bankotsu still hadn't devised a new plan to defeat Inuyasha and his friends. It was useless to try to persuade Bankotsu into something he didn't want to do. He was like a child that needed to be lured with candy. He knew what the perfect treat would be to lure him out.

The sun was shining brightly, signaling that it was early in the morning. Inuyasha was resting on the tree branch with his arms folded across his chest. The gentle summer breeze played with his silver tresses as he stared off into the sky. He had a lot of things weighing on his conscience. 'Damn, how am I going to get rid of the band of seven? Those bastards have at least seven shards of the jewel. And that damn Bankotsu...' he thought. He ears tweaked at the sound of Kagome yawning from below.

Kagome rolled over in her sleeping bag and opened her eyes slowly. She found herself staring up into a sky of endless colors of orange and blue, with the sun peering through the retreating night clouds. 'Morning already?' she thought. She gasped when Inuyasha's face suddenly entered her field of vision. She gave him a sheepish smile. "Um...good morning Inuyasha" she said.

Inuyasha stared down at her with a blank expression. "Yo, Kagome, we need to talk." he said in a serious tone.

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. Inuyasha needed to talk to her, early in the morning. She slowly sat up and looked around. Everyone else was still sleeping, after all, it was still dawn. She stood up and looked at Inuyasha nervously. "O-okay." she said in a low voice.

Inuyasha began walking into the forest with his arms folded and Kagome walked behind him nervously. He wanted to get out of the earshot from the others, he didn't want anyone to hear his conversation. 'Okay, just get this over with. Just blurt it out and leave.' he told himself.

She was visibly shaking. Her mouth was getting dry and her palms were sweating. Did Inuyasha find out? Perhaps he over heard her and Sango while they were in the hot spring last night. Maybe Miroku was spying on them and overheard. Maybe Bankotsu himself told Inuyasha. She knew how men loved to tell others about their 'encounters' with women. She snapped out of her reverie when she collided into Inuyasha's back. He had stopped.

Inuyasha turned around and looked down at Kagome. "You all right?" he asked. She nodded nervously. "You look a little pale, are you sure?" he asked again. She nodded again. Inuyasha stared deep into Kagome's eyes and grabbed her hand. "Kagome, I know." he simply said. "Quit fool'in around will ya!" Inuyasha said as he quickly caught Kagome.

Kagome's knees had given out and she fell into Inuyasha's chest. She felt his hand grip her shoulder to help her stand straight once more. She felt like she was going puke, but despite that she regained her composure. "Sorry." she said in a whisper of a voice. "What were you saying?" she asked sheepishly. 'He knows!!! I can't believe this!!!' her mind screamed.

Inuyasha continued, despite Kagome's abnormal behavior. "Kagome, I know that you've been feeling down lately because of me, and I'm...sorry." he apologized sincerely for the first time ever. He turned away from her, he knew that she was going to start with the 'oh, how sweet, Inuyasha' and all that other mushy garbage.

Kagome stared at him with wide eyes. She was relieved and shocked all at once. Apparently those to emotions didn't sit well within her. Kagome closed her eyes and fell backwards as a result of her bad emotional mix. Inuyasha whipped around when he had heard a thud hit the ground. He was surprised to see Kagome resting on the forest floor, out cold.

"K-Kagome?!" he said with wide eyes. He guessed that she was overwhelmed with joy and happiness. He knelt down and scooped the unconscious girl into his arms and walked back to the others. 'She better had heard me apologize cuz I ain't doing it again.' he thought.

It was another day that would probably go to waste without killing someone. So far his afterlife had sucked, with the exception of the ray of sunshine in his life by the name of Inuyasha. Jakotsu threw his fists into the air as he yawned. His eyes were droopy with boredom and his once happy smile turned upside down.

"Oh, I'm so bored! I wanna see my Inuyasha. I haven't seen him since yesterday, it's just not fair!" he whined to himself. He looked up as he heard the door slide open. His eyes lit up immediately. Jakotsu quickly stood up with a smile. "Big brother, what do you have planned for us today?" he asked.

The man with the braided hair stared up at the over zealous man. Bankotsu put a finger to his chin and thought for a minute. "Well, I was thinking that we needed some more sake since Renkotsu and Suikotsu finished it off last night. Then I said no because I don't want us to become drunkards because we do have business to handle. Then again we could raid a village to get some food, but I'm not in the mood right now." he said.

Jakotsu plopped down on the porch once more with a heavy sigh. "It figures." he said.

Renkotsu stepped onto the porch and stared down at Bankotsu. "Big brother, this inactivity is causing all of us to get restless. Besides Naraku..." he was interrupted.

Bankotsu waved him off. "What about him? I don't wanna waste my time on a monkey man right now, we need to regain our strength." he said.

"But, I'm bored! I need to see Inuyasha, hell I'll even settle for Kouga." he whined.

"We need to do something besides sitting around." Renkotsu added.

Bankotsu jumped down from the porch and began walking off into the direction of the forest. "Wah, Wah, Wah! You sound like a bunch of babies. I'm going for a walk and when I come back I don't wanna hear anything about Naraku or Inuyasha!" he stated as he continued walking.

Renkotsu narrowed his eyes at their thick-headed leader. It seemed like he was the only one concerned about Naraku's plans for them. If he were leader, Inuyasha and everyone else on their list would be dead by now. Renkotsu sighed and turned to go back in. "If he didn't have his mind on that damn wench, we could take care of business." he said to himself as he walked back inside.

Jakotsu watched as he went back inside the abandoned castle. What did he mean by that? 'Hm, what wench? Could it be...no way!' he thought. The Bankotsu he knew would never let a woman get in the way of their business. Jakotsu stood up from the porch and casually walked off into the forest that was not too far from them. He could finally figure some things out and maybe even see Inuyasha again.

Kagome smiled as she once again placed down a winning card. She threw her arms into air and declared, "I won!" She and Inuyasha were playing a game of blackjack and so far she had won every game.

Inuyasha folded his arms and turned his head to the side. "Feh! This is a stupid game!" he said, obviously being a sore loser.

Sango laughed. "You're just upset because you can't play. It's very simple, Inuyasha." she said with a smile.

Miroku nodded. "If you spent more time with us you know how to play all of Kagome's future card games." he added.

Shippo jumped onto Miroku's shoulder. "Inuyasha's too stupid to learn." he laughed.

Inuyasha stood up with a grunt. "What is this, 'team up on Inuyasha day'? Well , I ain't going!" he said as he hopped back into the tree above them in one leap. "You can play your stupid blackmack or whatever it's called." he said.

Kagome sighed and gathered the cards up into one pile before straightening them up. Like she always said to herself, 'you can't teach an old dog a new trick'. She stood up from her kneeling position and stretched. "I'm going to stretch my legs for a bit. Anyone wanna come with me?" she asked.

"Feh." was all Inuyasha said, still resting in the tree above.

Miroku and Sango shook their heads. "I'm going to play a game of blackjack with Miroku." Sango said.

"Me too!" Shippo declared, excited to learn another one of Kagome's games.

Kagome nodded and did a 180-degree turn and walked off into the forest. "Don't go too far, Kagome!" Inuyasha called from the tree.

"I won't!" she called back as she continued walking forward. Inuyasha understood everyone's request for some alone time once in a while. But in her case he was afraid to let her run off anywhere ever since she was abducted by the Shichinintai a few weeks ago. When she thought about it, this would be the first time she would have been able to go off by herself ever since that day. 'Maybe I can finally get some thinking done. I haven't been home in awhile...I probably have like a million tests to take...not to mention make-ups...' her mind trailed off immediately.

The weather was warm and breezy, which was quite decent for the early spring. The sounds of birds chirping and other nature calls could be heard all around. This part of the forest was so serene and calm that it could lull anyone to sleep. Too bad he didn't come here for sleeping, it would have been the perfect place though. He just came there to get away from the constant nagging from his comrades. He didn't like keeping things from them, but it was an order from Naraku himself. Though he wasn't used to following orders, he would if it depended on his life.

'Naraku, who is he really? What is he really after?' he thought. He sat down Indian style and leaned against a nearby tree. He looked up and noticed that the trees almost formed a tent over the area since only a few rays of sunshine peered through the thick leaves of the trees. He had been driven away from the abandoned castle so fast that he completely forgot to bring his Banryuu. He sighed. "I really slipping...how could I forget my baby? I'm sorry, as soon as I get back I'll take you out for a killing spree." he said to himself with a laugh. He closed his beautiful cerulean eyes for a moment and listened to the sounds of nature, the chirping birds, the squirrels running up the trees, the sound of someone sneaking up on him. He snapped his eyes open in an instant and quickly scanned the area. His eyes laid upon his intruder and he gawked.

"It's you..." he said in a low voice. He shook his head looked back in the direction where she was standing, she was still there.

Kagome stood there with an awed look upon her face. She was simply walking around in a daze thinking about her troubles and then she stumbled across him. She had seen a figure of a man from afar, but hadn't realized who it was until she came closer. It was definitely Bankostu, the leader of the Shichinitai. He looked so peaceful and lost in thought before she arrived, she almost felt guilty for disturbing him.

"I-I'm...sorry." she said as she quickly turned away from him. She was getting ready to leave until...

"Kagome." he said her name. He watched as she slowly turned around, staring down at the ground. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Inuyasha?" he said, trying to keep calm. The thought of the hanyou entering his mind was enough to get his blood boiling.

He noticed that she was wearing the same clothes as she always did, except they were crisp and clean this time. Where did she get such strange garments?

Kagome looked at him. "I was just taking a walk." she explained.

There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other for several minutes without saying a word. They hadn't really been around each other ever since that day the band of seven had her in their custody. It was extremely awkward. "So..." he paused for a moment. "It's been a while, huh?" he said with a smirk.

Kagome nodded and tried her best not to blush. She had butterflies dancing around in her stomach. Though he was the enemy, she found him to be irresistible. "Yeah, I guess you can say that." she replied in a low voice. "Um, I hope I'm not disturbing you, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here." she apologized again.

Bankotsu looked over at Kagome again from the tree he was sitting under. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he couldn't get her out of his mind since that fateful day. Of course he had been with previous women, but she was different. He was often the one to gather up women to bring home to his friends to celebrate a victory. "What are you standing around for? Sit down, will ya!" he said. He watched as she took a few steps toward him and proceeded to sit down almost six feet from him. "What's the matter? I don't have cooties." he joked.

Kagome laughed nervously as she moved closer to him and sat down next to him. She was so tense and nervous, but she refused to let him sense her fear. She had heard that he had killed over a thousand people, he was a ruthless killer, but how come she saw a different side to him? "Bankotsu?" she said.

He looked over at her out the corner of his eye. "Yeah?" That was the first time she said his name, he liked it.

She looked down into her lap. "Aren't you going to kill me? I mean, I'm an easy target for you, right?" she asked strangely. He could easily kill her without a second thought, but he didn't, he was even being nice to her.

Bankotsu stood up and walked a few feet away from her with his arms folded. "What kind of dumb ass question is that? Do you want me to kill you, because all you have to do is say the word." he threatened.

Kagome stared up at him with shock. She hadn't meant to upset him, but he didn't have to threaten her like that. She then noticed that he didn't have his Banryuu with him, which was a surprise. She stood up as well. "I'm sorry okay! But this is weird, I mean, you're the enemy and you're not even trying to kill me. Then we...we..." she trailed off with a blush.

Bankotsu turned around with a smirk. "Oh yeah, that was fun. That's what happens when you get me worked up like that." he said.

Kagome gave him a wry smile. "For a second I thought you were...raping me." she admitted.

"Ha! Why would I have to rape a woman?" he said with a charming smile.

He was right. There probably wasn't one woman in feudal Japan who wouldn't be attracted to him. "I guess you're right." she said while looking down. She looked up once more and she was surprised to see Bankotsu standing right in front of her. She gasped lightly when she found herself staring into his blue eyes. She could feel his warm, sweet breath against her lips and she closed her eyes. She tensed when she felt his soft lips press against hers, kissing her in the sweetest way possible.

He couldn't contain himself any longer. He thought that if he kept talking he could fight the urge to kiss her, but watching her lips move only tempted him to kiss her even more. He wrapped his arms around her small form and she returned the embrace. He slowly slipped his tongue into her mouth and explored her. Their tongues mingled together in a seductive dance.

Where the hell did he go? He had seen him walk into the forest but he was nowhere to be found. Jakotsu sighed and continued walking around the forest. The weather was really beautiful, a wonderful day to visit Inuyasha. Since it didn't look like he was going to find Bankotsu he might as well pay Inuyasha a visit. He continued exploring around the forest. He stopped and looked around when he had heard voices from up ahead. "Huh? Who was that?" he asked himself. Jakotsu gripped his Jakotsutou and walked toward the voice. He quietly hid behind a large tree. His eyes widened in shock. 'It's big brother...and Inuyasha's wench!' he thought. So Renkotsu had been right all along, his mind was on that girl. He should've known from the last time when he had ran off with that wench. He scratched his cheek. 'Geez, am I really that stupid?' It seemed like they had been kissing for a long time, even before he had arrived. It was absolutely repulsive.

For what seemed like an eternity and a day, they finally parted from each other. Kagome rested her head against his shoulder. Her heart was fluttering in her chest and her mind was filled with unwanted thoughts. Strangely, she didn't want to stop kissing him at all, actually she wanted much more. She remained silent. Kagome inhaled his scent and it was nothing like the smell of graveyard soil to her, he was just human.

It was strange. He had never felt these type of emotions in his life, or afterlife. This was all a new sensation for him, but should he indulge in it? He didn't have time for this, he had a mission to carry out. Worst of all, the very girl he was holding in his arms was the enemy. Even so, he felt like he could hold her forever. There was a long, comfortable silence between them until...

"Kagome!" a woman's voice called out. "Kagome where are you?"

Kagome moved away from Bankotsu in an instant. "It's Sango." she said to herself. She then turned back to Bankotsu, who still had a calm look on his face.

Bankotsu didn't care if her friend was coming, she was no threat to him. Kagome on the other hand looked a little pale. "Well, I guess this is good bye, huh?" he said. He didn't want her to leave...not so soon.

Kagome shook her head. "Not good bye. Maybe more like a 'see you later'." she said as she ran off into the direction of her friend's voice.

Bankotsu smirked. "Yeah, see you later!" he said. 'That sounds way better than goodbye.' he thought. He then heard the bushes rustling behind him and turned around. His eyes widened. "Jakotsu, what are you doing! Were you spying on me?!" he yelled.

Jakotsu crossed his arms. "Hmph! Don't yell at me because you got caught! How could you go off with Inuyasha's wench? I can't believe you, Bankotsu!" he yelled back. "I can't believe you would do something so disgusting!"

Bankotsu looked up at his friend. He really must've done something wrong if he upset Jakotsu. It wasn't his fault if he liked Kagome. "Hey, calm down! I'm sorry, but not everyone is obsessed with men like you." He retorted, as he crossed he arms.

Jakotsu gasped. "Oh yeah! Well, at least I'm not canoodling with some scrawny, half-witted girl!" he shot back.

Bankotsu stepped closer to him and they were glaring at each other. A few seconds later they burst out into laughter while falling down to the forest floor. "Ha, ha! What the hell is canoodling!?" he laughed.

Jakotsu laughed as well. "I don't know, it just sounds funny." he continued to laugh. After a few minutes they stopped.

Bankotsu stood up and looked down at Jakotsu. He held out his hand to help him up and he took it. Jakotsu brushed off his light pink kimono and straightened it out. "Look Jakotsu, try not to leak any of this out to the others." he said.

Jakotsu nodded. "Alright. I still don't see why you're interested in her though. You know you don't have time for a relationship." he said truthfully. "Women can be so complicated." he added with a frown.

Bankotsu nodded slightly. "Yeah, I know. Let's just get back to the others." he said as he began to walk off.

"Um, actually, I was going to go see Inuyasha. I can't bear another minute without seeing him." he said with a creepy smile.

Bankotsu looked back at him. "Uh, yeah, okay." he said as he continued walking.

Jakotsu turned around and gripped his hand on his sword. He had every mind to find that wench and slice her into tiny chunks of meat and then feed her to the demons. She was getting in the way of his Inuyasha and now the Shichinintai's plans. He knew that it would hurt Bankotsu, but it was best for them all. If he ran fast enough, he could probably catch up to her.

Kagome ran around mindlessly trying to find Sango, or the campsite. She had heard Sango's voice, but she probably went back to the campsite instead. She was definitely lost now, she definitely took a wrong turn. Kagome sighed heavily and leaned against a tree. At least it was still daylight, but demons lurked around no matter what time of day it was. "I can't believe this! How could I get lost so easily? I'll hear it from Inuyasha for sure." she said. It was best if she stayed in one place. Sango probably went back and told Inuyasha she couldn't find her. He was probably on his way right now.

She turned her head to the sound of bushes rustling. It was probably Inuyasha. Before she saw anyone she saw an array of slinging blades headed her way. She screamed and quickly dove to the side. The blades hit the tree she was leaning against and carved it up. She then looked up and saw the Shichinintai mercenary, Jakotsu, holding the hilt of his sword while the blades retracted.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually dodged that. You were lucky, but let's see if you can keep it up!" he yelled as he flung his sword toward her again.

Kagome didn't know which way the blades were coming from, but she kept running and dodging them miraculously. She landed on the ground, breathing heavily. She glared back at Jakotsu. "Ah, are you insane?! Are you trying to kill me!?" she yelled.

Jakotsu smirked. "Of course!" he said and he lifted his sword up once more. He stopped and his eyes widened slightly. What was he thinking? He couldn't kill her, especially since Bankotsu took a liking to her. He watched as Kagome closed her eyes as he lifted his sword, but he then lowered it. He let out a frustrated sigh. Kagome opened her eyes and looked at him. "What are you looking at, wench!?" he narrowed his eyes. "Don't you have sense enough to run?" he said.

Kagome grunted and stood up with her fists balled at her sides. "Hey, pal, what's your problem?!" she yelled.

Jakotsu pointed his sword in her direction and watched as she flinched. "I don't like you." he seethed. "You're lucky that I don't kill you." he said.

"Oh yeah!" she said with a glare. Though her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest, she stood her ground. She hadn't forgotten about the time that he backslapped her, but she was still afraid of him.

Jakotsu shook his head and sighed again. "I don't see how some men put up with you women." he said.

"Kagome!!!" a loud voice yelled.

Kagome sighed in relief. It was Inuyasha. She couldn't stand to talk to the psycho in front of her. "Inuyasha!" she called back.

Jakotsu smirked. "Well, it's about time." he said.

Inuyasha jumped down from a tree and landed in front of Kagome with his Tetsusaiga drawn. He glared at the strange man before him with a mixture of anger and disgust. He almost let out a low growl. "Kagome, stay back." he said. "It's about time that we end this, eh, Jakotsu?" he said with an angry glare.

Jakotsu still smirked. "Oh, Inuyasha, don't look at me that way, you know that it turns me on!" he said as he licked his ruby red lips.

Inuyasha cringed for second. He was going to pay. "Die you sick bastard!" he yelled as he jumped into the air with his sword.

Jakotsu jumped out of the way at the last minute. He quickly swung his sword toward him and watched as Inuyasha avoided his confusion of blades. Inuyasha landed on the ground once more and his sword began to swirl with wind. Jakotsu knew about his wind scar technique and he wasn't going to get caught up in it. He looked up and noticed a large branch above them sprouting out from a tree. Jakotsu quickly flung his sword toward it and it sliced the large branch from the tree. He quickly jumped out of the way as it crashed to the ground and fled the scene yelling, "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. But I really have to run, I'll be back soon!" he promised.

Inuyasha cursed as he cut himself out of the large tree branch that had fallen on him. "That bastard, I'll get him!" he swore. He turned back to Kagome. "Hey, are you all right!" he asked.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I got lost, I'm sorry Inuyasha." she apologized.

Inuyasha sheathed his sword. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get back to the campsite. We're going to leave soon and try to find out where those bastards are hiding." he said as he walked along.

Kagome followed behind him. She then had a bad feeling settling in her stomach, almost as if she felt guilty. She couldn't help but to feel guilty. Inuyasha was her friend, maybe even more, and she had betrayed him. She had to stop herself before it was too late, she couldn't see him anymore.

Author's note: Phew I didn't realize the story was this long. Okay chapter three will be up soon...I hope.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Okay I'm back again with a new chapter. Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! This might be the last one I post before Xmas, but I'll see. Also I'm making the chapter's a little shorter, I know long chapters are hard to get through sometimes. Enjoy!

The next day, it was storming horribly. The roads were mushy and muddy, which would be any traveler's nightmare. Too bad for them, they were those very travelers. Kagome held her pink umbrella in her hand tightly as she walked down the muddy road. She was carrying Shippo on her shoulder, he wanted to be under the umbrella as well. Sango was huddling under the small umbrella as well with Kirara on her shoulder. Miroku and Inuyasha were out of luck, they were forced to walk in the rain, being pounding relentlessly with the cold drops of water.

They were headed toward a village where they could possibly seek shelter until it stopped raining. Their main itinerary was to hunt down the band of seven. Kagome shivered slightly from the cool breeze that surrounded them. Her hair was becoming stringy from the rain and her clothes were between damp and wet. If they didn't find shelter soon they all be sure to catch colds. Kagome looked up ahead and saw the village that Miroku had told them about.

Kagome smiled. "We're almost there!" she announced happily.

Miroku nodded. "Yes, I know a barter who lives there. Perhaps I could sell a few items for money." he said with a smirk.

Sango narrowed his her eyes at him. "How come he's the only one who seems to pick up mysterious 'items' to sell?" she said.

Kagome laughed sheepishly. "He has his ways, Sango." After a few more minutes of walking, they finally made it into the village. Miroku met up with his barter friend and sold a few things so that they could afford a place to sleep. The inn they stayed in wasn't the best, but it was a million times better than sleeping outside.

After they settled down in the inn, they all found themselves sitting around having green tea to warm themselves up. They all wore white kimonos while their clothes dried, save for Inuyasha, who claimed that he wouldn't get sick.

Kagome sipped her tea quietly and listened to what everyone else was talking about. The warm liquid ran through her and she felt better already. 'I hope I don't get sick. We're miles away from the well.' she thought. Her mother told her to bring some medicine with her just in case, but no, she had to make room for Inuyasha's snacks.

Miroku sipped his tea as well. He looked over to Inuyasha, who was sitting down by the door. "Tell me, Inuyasha, are you sure that Jakotsu fled in this direction?" he asked.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, that bastard was probably running back to the rest of them. My nose can't really pick up their scents since there is so much moisture in the air." he said. He was determined to end the reign of the band of seven by all means.

Sango spoke up. "I took a walk around and asked a few villagers about the whereabouts of the band of seven. One of them said that an oddly dressed man was seen walking around earlier in the day." she told.

"Feh. It was probably that damn Jakotsu. I wonder why he just didn't raid the village?" Inuyasha said.

"They're probably laying low for now. If he would've caused a commotion we would have easily been able to track them. They're clever, I must admit." Miroku commented.

Inuyasha smirked. "As soon as this rain stops, we'll get those bastards." he said with determination.

Kagome remained quiet. She really didn't have anything to say at the moment, especially about the band of seven. Every time she tried to forget about them, they just kept bringing it back up. She was trying to rid her mind of the Shichinintai leader, but it was pointless if everyone kept talking about them. 'I have to keep it together, at least for now.' she thought. Though it was inevitable that they would run into the band of seven, she had to think positively.

The rain was absolutely horrible. The weather had become chilly and it was rather windy. They had all been inside, focusing and minding their own business for the day. Today they were actually supposed to raid a village not too far from where they were, but it rained. Jakotsu sighed as he finally arrived back at the abandoned castle. Renkotsu was definitely picking on him. He had been minding his own business when Renkotsu requested that he go into the village they were supposed to raid and buy some more sake. Worst of all, he had been ordered not to kill anyone or stir up any trouble. He had received a lot of weird looks from the villagers, but he quickly bought the sake and got out of there.

Jakotsu walked through the halls, hugging himself for warmth. He was soaking wet and cold. He shivered slightly and sighed. "It's so cold. I'm probably going to get sick." he said to himself. He slid the door open and walked into the room where Renkotsu was sitting. He was surprised to see Suikotsu in there as well. He looked from Renkotsu to Suikotsu in confusion. "What's going on? Is this a meeting or something?" he asked.

Renkotsu opened his eyes and glared at Jakotsu. He then noticed the jug of sake in his hand. He smirked slightly. He had no need for any more sake, he just wanted to rid himself of Jakotsu for a while. He and Suikotsu were discussing some important matters. "Jakotsu, take a seat." he said in a stern voice.

Jakotsu eyed him strangely. He was receiving stares from both Suikotsu and Renkotsu. "What is it? Do you see through my kimono or something? I am wet, you know, from the rain, you made me walk in, to get your sake." he said with an irritable look. He sat down once Renkotsu narrowed his eyes at him dangerously.

Renkotsu glared at Jakotsu and then he softened his expression a bit. "Jakotsu, why don't you have yourself some sake." he said.

Jakotsu looked at him in bafflement. "Nah, I'm not in the mood." he said. What were they up to?

Renkotsu smirked. His first plan was to get Jakotsu drunk so that he would tell them anything that Bankotsu hadn't. He had a feeling that he and Bankotsu were keeping things from them since they were 'best buddies'. "Very well, Jakotsu, we've come up with a new plan to get rid of Inuyasha and his friends." he started.

Jakotsu's face lit up with excitement. "Really! I've been waiting for some action, especially if it involves Inuyasha." he said with glee. "Was that it? What's the big deal, we always come up with this plan."

Renkotsu fought his urge to just hit his idiotic comrade. He smiled instead. "The big deal is that we're changing our tactics. We're going to kidnap Inuyasha's wench and hold her hostage. But unlike our last attempt, we'll succeed in having Inuyasha at a disadvantage. He'll do anything to protect her, even give up his shards of the jewel. Oh, and we will not be telling big brother about this." he explained.

Jakotsu stood up. "What do you mean that we won't be telling big brother!? We can't do this, it's not fair, it's not fair!" he whined incessantly.

Renkotsu closed his eyes and shook his head. He just couldn't take it anymore, he was driving him crazy. Renkotsu stood up and grabbed Jakotsu by his kimono. "Jakotsu! Listen to me!! You know that big brother has some sort of infatuation with that girl and if we don't do something quick, she'll get in the way of our plans. The jewel shards in our very necks are what's keeping us alive and if we succeed in destroying Inuyasha we can keep them!" he yelled.

"Renkotsu!" Suikotsu yelled from the corner of the room. "Don't use violence against your own comrade, save it for Inuyasha." he said in his deep voice.

Renkotsu let go of Jakotsu's kimono and pushed him back. He sighed and calmed his nerves. "I'm sorry, Jakotsu. I'm just trying to do what's best for us. We have to get rid of Inuyasha and his pesky friends before it's too late." he said. "Now please, just don't tell big brother about any of this, all right?" he said with a forced smile.

Jakotsu straightened out his kimono with an annoyed look. He would never betray big brother, they were more like best friends rather than comrades. But in a sense, Renkotsu was right. Getting rid of Inuyasha would save their lives. Jakotsu sighed. "Yeah, whatever. But you better not tell him that I had anything to do with this." he demanded.

The door slid open and all three occupants of the room snapped their heads towards it. They all remained silent and tried to act casual. Bankotsu stepped into the room and looked around. He noticed how strange everyone was acting, especially Renkotsu. His blue eyes snapped towards the man with the bandana adorning his head. "Yo, what's going on here? You guys having a party or something...without me? Or were you just talking about me?" he asked suspiciously as his eyes scanned the room.

The room was dead silent until Renkotsu spoke up. Renkotsu laughed slightly. "Of course not, big brother. Jakotsu brought back some sake for us and we were just going to share it." he lied flawlessly.

Bankotsu looked over to Jakotsu, who was playing with his stringy hair. "What's up with you, Jakotsu? You look weird." he observed, looking at Jakotsu closer.

Jakotsu bit his lip and looked over at Renkotsu, who was glaring daggers at him, then back to Bankotsu. "I'm just cold from the rain. I had to go all the way to the village to buy some sake, I might be getting sick." he said. He didn't completely lie, he was feeling cold, but he was probably sick because he was following Renkotsu's plan.

Bankotsu looked around the room once more before leaving. He knew that something was going on, but he didn't feel like interrogating anyone. Once he left, everyone relaxed with a sigh of relief. Renkotsu looked at Jakotsu with a smirk. "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Jakotsu just rolled his eyes. "Well, let's get going." he said.

The rain hadn't let up at all, in fact, it had gotten much worse. But it was obvious that the drizzle would develop into a downpour and then into a full blown storm. The sky was filled with endless dark gray skies, without one single ray of sunshine. Inuyasha groaned in annoyance as he sat down with his arms folded. He desperately wanted to find and kill the remainder of the Shichinintai, but something as simple as sky water was preventing him from doing so. He looked back an noticed how peacefully everyone else was sleeping. Kagome was cuddled up with Shippo while Sango did the same with Kirara. Mirkou had fallen asleep last, leaning against the wall in a sitting position.

'What is it with humans falling asleep while it rains?' he thought to himself. He ignored his thoughts and slid the door open a crack to peer outside. From the simple crack in the door, rain still managed to fall in. Inuyasha closed the door again. "Damn!" he cursed aloud. "This is just our luck." he sighed. He closed his eyes and decided that he would join his friends in slumber. Maybe rest would do him some good. Not more than five minutes passed when...

"Phantoms!!! Phantoms!!!" a loud scream pierced through a loud crack of thunder.

Inuyasha bolted his eyes open in an instant and stood up with his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Yo, Miroku!" he called. He watched as he opened his eyes and looked at him with a questioning gaze. "We got trouble!" he said and he slid the door open.

Mirkou quickly stood up with his staff in hand and looked over to the girls. "Shall, I awake Sango and Kagome?" he asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nah! This could be dangerous! It's the band of seven!" he said as he headed out into the rain.

Miroku walked to the door until he heard the meowing sound coming from Kirara. He looked back. Kirara moved away from Sango and walked towards him. "You're coming too, Kirara?" he asked. Kirara jumped outside and transformed into her larger form and growled as she followed Inuyasha. Miroku followed in tow.

Inuyasha stood in the rain with his Tetsusaiga drawn. He peered through the rain and saw a man's body lying in a puddle mixed with rain water, mud, and blood. His neck had slash marks across it, gushing blood. Inuyasha let out a low growl. "Come out you bastards! Im waiting for you!" He didn't have to look back to notice that Miroku and Kirara had joined him.

Miroku peered through the falling rain and made out the figures of two men. They were lucky that it was only two of them and they traveled by foot. It was odd, they probably came for a particular reason. "Inuyasha! I can see only two of them, what does this mean?" he yelled out. His voice was almost being drowned out by the sound of the rain and occasional thunder.

"Yeah, it's Renkotsu and Suikotsu. They were stupid to come in small numbers!" he yelled, as he ran towards them.

Suikotsu smirked as he saw Inuyasha running towards him and he lifted his claws. "I'll deal with Inuyasha, you distract the monk." Suikotsu said as he jumped in Inuyasha's direction.

Miroku watched as Suikotsu and Inuyasha engaged in battle, metal claws against the sword. He turned his head towards someone's laughter. Renkotsu walked towards him. "Your battle is with me, monk." he said.

Miroku smirked and held his staff horizontally. "Yes, but it seems that your fire thread trick is rendered useless in this weather." he said.

Renkotsu laughed again. "How observant , but I have something else for you today." he said he pulled a big cannon-like gun off of his back and pointed at his opponent. He smirked as he fired the large gun.

Kirara quickly forced Mirkou onto her back and took off into the air. The shot hit the ground and a large explosion covered the area and became smoke-filled. Inuyasha turned his head towards the explosion. "Miroku!!" he called.

Suikotsu smirked and slashed Inuyasha in the abdomen when he was distracted. His claws dripped with blood, but it was washed off quickly by the rain. "Pay attention!" he yelled.

Renkotsu smirked. 'Perfect, now all Jakotsu has to do is not screw his part up, but it should be easy since he's dealing with women.' he thought evilly.

Lightening flashed again, followed by a loud crack of thunder. Kagome awoke, not only by the sound of the thunder, but by the small droplets of water hitting her face. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around the now dark room. The door was open and the place where Inuyasha once sat was covered with a puddle of water. The candles that were lit in the room were probably blown out from the wind. "The storm has gotten worse." she said aloud. 'Where's Inuyasha and Miroku?' she thought.

She nudged Sango and she opened her eyes groggily. "What's wrong?" she asked. Sango sat up and looked around. "Where have Inuyasha and Miroku gone?" she asked.

The floor creaked and the two girls snapped their heads towards the sound. They both stood up, feeling alarmed. "Hey Sango, maybe we should get dressed." Kagome said as she grabbed her uniform that was hanging on the wall and quickly dressed herself. Sango had done the same, dressing in her slayer apparel. The creaking sound could be heard again from within the room, but it too dark to see anything further than a three foot range.

Sango grabbed her hiraikotsu. "Who's there?!" she asked, standing in front of Kagome.

A sigh could be heard. "Women really are stupid!" a voice said.

Sango's eyes widened in shock. Lightening flashed briefly and they could see the man in the corner of the room as well as the glint coming from slinging blades. Sango gasped and held up her weapon to protect her from the oncoming attack. She stumbled back slightly from the impact from his weapon.

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "Jakotsu! What do you want from us?" she asked angrily. It was so dark that she could even locate her bow and arrows.

Jakotsu sighed in annoyance. "I don't want anything from you, but apparently someone else does. Now let's not make this difficult, I'm not in the mood today." he said. They were acting like they were blinded by the slight darkness, but he knew from their movements where they were. He heard the girl lift up her large boomerang again and he quickly slung his sword in her direction and he heard her let out a cry of pain. He smirked.

Sango fell to her knees, holding her abdomen in pain. Jakotsu's blade had sliced her pretty deeply, but it wasn't fatal. Kagome ran to her side. "Sango!" she cried. "Are you all right?!" she asked, tears appearing in her eyes.

Sango gave Kagome a wry smile, trying her best to keep consciousness. "Yeah, I'm okay. You better run now." she told her. Her eyelids were becoming heavy and she felt the need to just rest.

Kagome felt around on the floor and she found her bow along with her quiver of arrows. She pulled one out and notched it onto her bow and aimed it in the direction her gut was telling her to. Before she could fire the arrow it was knocked out of her hands. "Oh no!" she cried out. She looked up and noticed that she was going to fire her arrow in the right direction, plus she sensed a jewel shard. She sensed a lot of jewel shards. 'All of the band of seven is attacking now!' she thought.

Jakotsu shouldered his blade over his shoulder. "Okay wench, let's go." he said. He walked towards her until he towered over the girl. She tried to run, but he simply grabbed a wad of her hair and dragged her out of the door kicking and screaming.

Inuyasha snapped his head towards the screaming and his eyes widened when he saw Kagome being dragged out by Jakotsu. "Kagome!!!" he yelled. Due to his inattentiveness, he received a slash in the arm from Suikotsu.

Renkotsu smirked at their success. "It's time to retreat men!" he yelled. He fired another shot from his gun and the area became clouded with smoke once more.

Inuyasha covered his face from the smoke. He grew tired of waiting and his blade began to swirl with wind. "Wind scar!!!" he yelled. The area cleared of the smoke, but it was too late, they were gone, with Kagome at that. "Damn it all!!!" he yelled in rage. He looked down and noticed a wet piece of paper laying in a puddle and picked it up and read it. Inuyasha squinted his eyes and tried to read the letter, which the ink was nearly washed away.

'Inuyasha, to save...life...jewel shards...next full moon.' he read in his mind, skipping over words that were ruined. He balled his the note in his hand with anger. 'We don't have any jewel shards, how can we...Kagome...' he thought. He had to inform the others.

Author's note: Poor Kagome! I wonder what'll happen next?! Lol Happy Holidays everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

Auhtor's Note: Happy Holidays everyone! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Okay I'm back again with a new chappie...with a little squeeze of lemon towards the end. I edited out some parts out because I'm not sure about FF rules about that type of stuff:/ Anyway enjoy and thanks so much for the reviews:)

Disclaimer: Nope sorry, I don't own Inuyasha...but I sooooo wish I did.

It had been a rough travel back to the Shichinintai hideout. It would have been easier if she wasn't being pushed and shoved half of the way or forcefully picked up. She had been pushed many a times by Jakotsu and a few by Renkotsu. She despised all of them. This was the second time she had been abducted by them, what did they want with her now? Kagome gasped as she was pushed into the dark house roughly by Renkotsu, the snake-eyed, bald man.

Renkotsu looked around carefully. He was making sure that a certain leader wasn't in the room. Their plan had no collaboration from their leader what-so-ever and if they were caught...it would be hell to pay. Renkotsu, as well as the others were soaking wet from the rain, which still hadn't stopped yet. After lighting a few candles, he glared down at the girl with a wicked smile. "Well, wench, it's been a while, but I'm glad that you'll be helping us again. This time if you don't comply with us, I'll kill you myself." he threatened.

Suikotsu sat down in a corner and watched Renkotsu threaten the girl. "How will we keep her from Bankotsu?" he asked.

Renkotsu turned to look at the man. "We won't. Since she's here already, there's no use in going all the way back to the village to return her. He'll have to abide by our plan for now, which will definitely work." he told.

Kagome sat up and glared at the bald man. "What plan?" she sneered. "I'm not helping you find any jewels shards!" she yelled. She cried in pain as her head flew to the left from the hard slap she received.

"I'm warning you, bitch, that this time I'm serious! I'm not Bankotsu, you mean nothing to me!" he shot at her in a low voice.

Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, but she had to be strong. She rubbed the pain away from her burning cheek. She was relieved when the man had finally turned away from her. Then her mind trailed back to something miscellaneous. 'What did he mean by that last comment? Does Bankotsu...' She was interrupted when a soaking wet Jakotsu walked into the room.

He was heading towards his room to hopefully get some well-needed sleep. He had been traveling in the rain all day and now he didn't feel too well. He ignored anything that was happening in the main room and proceeded down the hall. 'I'm so cold...and tired...' he thought glumly.

"Jakotsu, take the girl to a room for the time being." Renkotsu ordered.

Jakotsu turned around slowly with a pleading look. "Oh, please, Renkotsu I'm really tired and..." he was cut off.

"Save it and do what I tell you to." Renkotsu said coldly.

Jakotsu sighed and walked over to the girl. Kagome stood up and Jakotsu stared at her strangely for a brief moment. She noticed how fatigued he looked and decided not to be a hassle for him. Though she knew he hated her, she didn't hate him, completely. The other night he did spare her life, though he could have easily taken it in a flash. 'Just do what they say and don't anger anyone.' she thought sadly.

Jakotsu walked down the hall and she followed without acquiesce. The walk was long and silent. He was walking at a slow pace probably because he was tired or something. Kagome stopped when he paused for a moment and leaned against the wall. "Just walk to the next door down." he said in a dry voice.

There was definitely something wrong with him. He wasn't whining nor insulting her like he usually did. His 'friends' didn't even care. Kagome slowly approached him and slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked with worry. What she did sometimes shocked even herself.

Jakotsu shook her hand off of his shoulder. He didn't feel like being bothered, especially by a woman. "Keep walking." he said. He didn't have the strength to keep walking. He felt dizzy and light-headed.

Kagome stared at him in pity. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to let me help you. I don't know what problem you have with women, but I'm just trying to help." she said seriously.

Jakotsu glared back at her. "What do you know! I don't need your help, wench!" he yelled.

"My name is, Kagome." she said in a low voice. "You probably don't even know that you might be developing a fever or the flu even. I can probably help, if you let me." she said.

Jakotsu softened his expression a bit and just stared at her. The silence was broken when a nearby door slid open. Jakotsu pushed himself from the wall and turned around. His eyes widened and his heart rate increased. "B-big brother...I...we..." he started.

Kagome just stared at the man in front of them with a mixed expression. She was happy yet afraid at once. He was just casting them a cold glare with his deep blue gaze. She remained silent.

Bankotsu looked over to Jakotsu. His friend did not look well at all. He was pale and soaking wet from the rain. He didn't know where to start. Should he start yelling or stay calm? "What the hell is going on?" he asked angrily, yet calmly.

Jakotsu coughed for a few seconds before answering. "R-Renkotsu..." he started. His eyes widened when Bankotsu turned away from them and walked down the hall, no doubt in search of Renkotsu.

Kagome watched him walk down the hall with an angry stride. She watched him disappear from around the corner and then she turned back to Jakotsu. "You're sick. You should go get you some rest now." she said softly. She walked forward and walked into the room she was instructed to go in to.

'What a strange girl? Does she think she can gain my trust by trying to help me? No, she's after something else for her own good, like all woman.' he thought with a bitter smile. 'But, maybe...no.' he thought as he walked down the hall. He heard a loud crash and he paused for a moment. It was definitely the sound of Renkotsu being punched and flying through a wall. 'Serves him right.' he thought while snickering, which soon turned into a cough.

Miroku stormed after an angry Inuyasha down the road to prevent him from doing anything stupid. He recalled his exact words before he stormed out of the room with his fully transformed Tetsusaiga in hand.

'I don't give a damn if they want jewels shards! I'm going to get Kagome right now! I'm going to kill all of those bastards with one blow so just fuck off, Miroku!' he had yelled in a rage.

The band of seven had a trap set of for them and Inuyasha was going to run into it blindly. Though they didn't have any jewel shards, they would do their best to scrounge some up to save Kagome. The next full moon was in three days so they had a decent amount of time to try to find jewel shards. The hunt would be extremely hard since Naraku had most of the shards in his possession.

"Inuyasha!! Inuyasha wait!!!" Miroku called out to his friend. "I believe that they have set up a trap for us! I doubt that they would repeat their same tactics! Trust me, they won't hesitate to kill her, especially if we don't abide by their requests!" he reasoned. He was shocked and relieved to see that Inuyasha had stopped.

Inuyasha balled up his fist tightly and gritted his teeth. Once again, Miroku was right. The dead assassins were definitely up to something under-handed as usual. And what was the deal with them showing up without their leader and that machine thing? "How in the hell are we going to get jewel shards Miroku? We have no idea where they are and no idea how to find jewel shards! All odds are against us and those zombie freaks know that!" he yelled.

Miroku nodded, understanding their predicament. "Yes, without Kagome, we won't find any shards anytime soon." he added. There was silence for a moment. "Inuyasha, maybe we could possibly seek the help of..." he was cut short.

Inuyasha looked over to the monk. "K-Kikyo? You mean we should try to find Kikyo to help us find jewel shards?" he voiced his friend's thought. "Ain't no way! We're gonna do this on our own. Besides, Kikyo wouldn't want to...ah just skip it." he said in annoyance. "Miroku, go back to the village and help Sango with her wounds. I'm gonna do some shard hunting!" Inuyasha said as he jumped off with great speed.

Miroku watched Inuyasha take off and only hoped that he wasn't going to face off with the band of seven alone. They had to take things slow and do things right if they wanted to ensure the safety of their friend. He sighed. 'Inuyasha, don't do anything irrational.' he thought. Mirkou turned and headed back to the village to tend to Sango's wounds. Perhaps he could tend to other 'things' while he was at it.

It was around midnight and the rain had finally come to a halt. It felt as if the whole day had been an entire night since the sky were filled with such a dark gray color. The sky which usually held many shining stars was now a pinkish hue due to the many clouds afloat in the sky.

It was so cold in the small dark room she was in. Worst of all, she was still dressed in her wet school uniform. And on top of that the futon she was sleeping on was worn and old and there were no covers. Kagome rolled onto her other side, facing the wall. She wanted to cry so badly, but it would do her no justice. She sighed heavily and squeezed her eyes shut. She hadn't been to sleep since she first walked into the room, around eight o'clock. There was a looming silence surrounding her until she heard footsteps coming down the hall.

Kagome opened her eyes and her heart began to pick up its pace. What if it was that Renkotsu guy? He'd probably roast her to death. Or maybe it was Jakotsu, but then she remembered that he was sick. Before she could guess she heard her door slide open and close once the person walked in. 'Just pretend to be sleep and they'll go away...please...just go away...' her mind panicked. She cracked one eye open and noticed that the room was lit with the flickering light of a candle.

"So, here you are. I've been searching this place high and low to find you." A familiar voice said.

Kagome opened her eyes and sat up slowly. 'It's...Bankotsu.' she thought. Strangely, she felt relieved, but he was still the enemy. Her chocolate eyes made contact with his blue ones. She remained silent.

Bankotsu set the candle holder down and walked towards the futon she was lying on. He was surprised that she wasn't sleep yet, especially since she endured so much. She definitely had a strong will for a girl her age. He noticed that she was shivering slightly, luckily he brought her a kimono to wear. He dangled a blue kimono in front of her. "I figured that you'd still be wet from the rain so I brought you this." he said as he offered the kimono. He watched as she took it from him timidly and just held onto it. "Well, aren't you going to change?" he asked.

Kagome looked at him in a mysterious fashion. "Well, not with you looking at me." she said with a nervous laugh.

Bankotsu smirked. "Come on, it's not like I haven't seen you naked before." he said. He noticed that Kagome's face turned red. He turned around with a sigh. "Women are such timid creatures." he said. He listened the rustling of her clothes as she changed.

After a few minutes, she was dressed in the blue kimono with white flower prints. It was beautiful. It must've belonged to the princess of the castle...before she was killed. It was grim to be wearing a dead girl's clothes, but at least she was dry, but she was still cold. "Okay, I'm dressed." she announced. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Bankotsu turned around and he was slightly taken by how beautiful she looked in that kimono. The way she was sitting allowed one of her legs to be exposed, she was extremely tempting. He watched as she folded her arms across her chest. "Are you still cold?" he asked. She nodded slightly.

Kagome watched as Bankotsu sat down next to her on the futon, extremely close at that. What was he doing? Kagome stiffened up and looked over to him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Bankotsu peered over to her out the corner of his eye. "I'm sitting next to you to generate some body heat. Is there something wrong?" he asked innocently, yet with a smirk creeping upon his face.

Kagome quickly shook her head. 'Um, yeah! This is totally awkward...but I guess it's okay...he is hot, I mean warm.' she thought. "No, it's okay." she answered. "You know, I can't believe I managed to get kidnaped again." she said truthfully.

Bankotsu laughed. "Yeah, and you didn't make it hard for them either. I'm surprised that they pulled this off without me, but it was Renkotsu's plan." said bitterly.

Kagome looked shocked. She thought that he had ordered them to kidnap her, but it was Renkotsu's plan all along. Now she definitely knew that she didn't like that Renkotsu guy. "Oh." was all she could mutter.

"I can't believe that idiot Inuyasha couldn't even protect you from danger. I still don't understand why everyone is so afraid of that wimp." Bankotsu said in contempt.

Kagome grunted and stood up angrily. She stood directly in front of him with her fists balled at her sides. "Look pal! Inuyasha may be careless at some times, but he's not an idiot and he's definitely not a wimp! So, you take that back!" she yelled.

Bankotsu turned his head to the side with a laugh. He couldn't believe that she would dare to argue with him. "I don't take back things that I mean. Now sit down and shut up." he said calmly.

Kagome was angered by his laid-back attitude. She wasn't one to be brushed off like an annoying insect. "Don't tell me to shut up! Just who do you think you are?! I'm not going to stand here and let you-..." She was interrupted when Bankotsu stood up abruptly and stepped towards her, very closely.

Bankotsu glared down at her with his penetrating blue gaze. "Yeah, now what were you saying?" he asked dangerously.

Kagome stared at him wide-eyed as he stared down at her. She guess that she had forgotten whom she was dealing with. Who would be crazy enough to argue with a notorious manslayer? No one, except her. "S-sorry...I-..." She was cut short again when his lips came crashing down upon hers. Kagome was shocked by his actions, but she melted into the kiss as always. She slowly placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned into the kiss.

This was perfect. He wanted to know if she had the same desires as he and from her actions, she obviously did. He parted away from her lips for a split second and gazed down into her chocolate eyes. "Kagome, are you sure you want this?" he asked.

Kagome wondered how she should answer. Of course what they were going to do was very wrong on so many different levels, but it was right as well. Maybe if she spent one more night with him, she could forget him. But did she really want to? 'No, I can't do this to Inuyasha.' her mind pleaded. 'He is the enemy, but...' Kagome nodded her head. "Yes, I'm sure." she answered. 'I hope...'

Bankotsu smiled at her answer and ran his hands through her hair and kissed her again. Kagome parted her lips and she let his tongue dance with hers. His kisses slowly trailed down from her lips to her neck. She moaned and closed her eyes slowly. Bankotsu slid his hands over her shoulders and slipped off her kimono, which fell down to her waist. His gentle kiss led down from her neck to her perky breasts. Bankotsu massaged her breasts with his hands and another moan escaped from Kagome's lips. His hands roamed down to her waist as well as his kisses. Bankotsu removed the sash from her kimono and it fell down to the floor, leaving her completely nude. He smiled and looked up at her blushing face. Now on his knees, he slowly slid his hand up the back of her leg and thigh. He flashed her a devious grin as he lifted her leg up and placed it over his shoulder. He kissed her inner thigh until it led up to his goal.

Kagome thought that she was going to loose it. He was so unpredictable, but she loved it. She was visibly shaking from pleasure now. She threw her head back and moaned loudly. "Oh, Bankotsu!" she screamed his name. She had no idea that she would climax so soon, but she wasn't going to stop now. Bankotsu stood up to her height once more and she forced her lips upon his. His arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer to his body.

Kagome parted from his lips and said. "This isn't very fair, you still have all of your clothes on." she said with a devious smile. Bankotsu smiled and began removing all of his armor and clothes until he was completely nude. Bankotsu smirked and stepped towards Kagome and joined his lips with hers again, pulling her closer to him in the process. He scooped Kagome into his and carried her bridal style over to the futon and gently laid her down.

Kagome smiled gently as Bankotsu moved closer to her and placed her arms around his neck. His skin felt so warm against hers and everything felt so natural, so perfect when she was with him. Bankotsu gently planted butterfly kisses on her neck and collarbone and Kagome moaned softly feeling the warmth of his kisses caress her soft skin. She was grateful that things were going much slower this time, she wanted to relish in the moment of their lovemaking and cherish it afterwards.

She bit her bottom lip gently as she finally felt him entering her. It had hurt the last time, but at least she knew that soon that pleasurable feeling would wash over her shortly after. She then heard Bankotsu whisper something softly in her ear, "Are you okay?" He asked. He would never dream of hurting her. Kagome smile reassuringly and embraced him once more.

Kagome gripped onto his shoulders and moaned in pleasure as he began thrusting into her slowly and gradually sped up as she became more comfortable. She cried out in pleasure as she arched her back. "Please...don't stop." she managed to cry out.

Kagome rubbed her hands down his back, moaning louder every minute. She could barely keep her eyes open, yet she was wide awake. Their hips rocked back and forth with an unbreakable rhythm until she cried out in pleasure once again. She arched her back and slammed the palm of her hand onto the floor. "Oh, Bankotsu!" she cried out again. Bankotsu groaned in pleasure as well as he slowly rested his head on Kagome's chest. She was shaking a little and panting heavily, but she felt completely wonderful and fulfilled. With shaky hands, she gently cradled Bankotsu's head on her bosom.

They were both covered in a sheen of sweat, their bodies glistening in the flickering candlelight. Bankotsu's lips curled up into a smile. "Well, didn't I tell I'd warm you up?" he said.

Kagome smiled. "You do keep your promises." 'This is the last time...no more...' she thought sadly. She closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.

Author's note: Phew! Kagome has been a naughty, naughty girl (I would have been too...Bankotsu is freaking hawt) Next chapter will be up soon!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Happy New Year! Finally all of the holiday mess is over and I have time to myself again. Thanks again for the lovely reviews!XDtear I'll try to have another chapter up before the weekend is over...but here's chapter 5! Enjoy R&R

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inuyasha...but I don't. If I did Bankotsu would have been in more episodes and Kikyo would've never been resurrected!(Okay that's mean).

Inuyasha dashed through the forest with incredible speed. It was a little late to go shard hunting, but he could cover more ground without the others. He still couldn't shake what Miroku said from his head. 'Kikyo...would you really help us, better yet...Kagome?' he thought. He didn't like the idea of seeking her for help, but he knew that without the aid of a priestess he wouldn't be able to find the jewel shards. Inuyasha leapt into and tree above and looked down below. He had finally found her.

Kikyo had stopped in her tracks and turned around. "I know you're here, Inuyasha. What do you want?" she asked in a low voice.

Inuyasha jumped down from the tree and landed in front of her. An eerie blue glow surrounded her as another soul collector deposited a soul in her clay-like body. He looked down to the side and tried to ignore the fact that she was still feeding off of the souls of the dead. "Kikyo...I was wondering if..." he trailed off. Kikyo placed her cold hand on his face and moved closer to him.

"Inuyasha, there is something troubling you. It's the band of seven, isn't it?" she guessed.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, they kidnaped Kagome and now they want jewel shards for a trade, but we don't have any jewel shards and...' He stopped when he noticed that Kikyo was laughing. "Kikyo..." He said as his eyes widened.

Kikyo stepped away from him and turned around. "Inuyasha, you came here seeking my assistance, did you not? You want me to help you find shards of the shikon jewel to help Kagome. I'm sorry, but Naraku has most of the shards and I refuse to give the band of seven any shards of the sacred jewel." she said nonchalantly. The soul collectors surrounded her and she began to float off into the air.

"Kikyo, I know you can help us, please don't go!" Inuyasha yelled. Kikyo continued to drift off into the air.

"It's in your hands now, Inuyasha." she said, her voice fading away as she flew higher into the sky.

Inuyasha slumped down to the ground and held his head low. Seeking Kikyo's help was his last resort and she refused to help him. He was running out of options, but it was only day one of their shard search. He would just have to find shards the old fashioned way. Inuyasha turned around and began jumping off into the forest. He and the others would begin their extensive search for jewel shards first thing in the morning. 'Kagome, don't worry, I'll find a way to save you.' he thought.

Kagome winced slightly as she was in the process of waking up, though it wasn't of her own free will. She opened her eyes and moved her head to look at the person underneath her. He was still sleeping. She blushed as she stared down at his well-toned chest. A smile crept upon her lips as she moved off of him reluctantly. It was still dark outside, so it was probably very early in the morning, around three o'clock or so. Kagome pulled on the previously discarded kimono and stood up. She turned her head towards the door. It was that sound again. The sound of loud coughing could be heard coming from somewhere within the old castle.

Kagome furrowed her brows in worry. 'Is that Jakotsu? It sounds really bad, he could be really sick.' she thought. She unconsciously moved towards the door and opened it. The coughing became louder once she entered the hall so she quickly closed the door behind her. She began walking down the hall, towards the coughing. It was an incessant cough that didn't seem to ease up, the person must've been going through hell. Kagome arrived to the door where the coughing was the loudest and slid it open and closed again once she stepped in. There were a few candles lit in the room so she had no trouble seeing. Her eyes wondered over to the person lying on the futon, coughing every once in a while.

Kagome gasped. It was Jakotsu. His kimono was stripped down to his waist, leaving him in his metal armor. His body was covered with a sheen of sweat and his chest heaved up and down violently with every cough. She approached him closer. She gasped again. She hadn't noticed that he wasn't wearing any makeup, he looked so pale, so lifeless without it. She had to admit that he was a fairly attractive young since his face paint wasn't concealing the fact that he was a man. His hair was undone and it was spread out in wavy curls. Jakotsu slowly opened his eyes and looked directly at her. "Wench, what are you doing in here? Get out!" he yelled. He began coughing again.

Kagome ignored him. "You don't sound well. You're getting sicker by the minute. You need some medicine!" she said as she rushed to his side. She placed a hand on his forehead and he was feverish.

Jakotsu grunted and grabbed her roughly by the wrist and pulled her hand away from him. "Leave me alone." he said, coughing. "I've dealt with worse so get off of my case!"

Was he so resentful towards women that he wouldn't receive medical treatment from one? She couldn't help but to pity him. She still wanted to help him. "I don't care what you say, I'm still going to help you! I'm going to find some herbs and I'll be right back!" she said as she stood up and ran to the door and left the room.

Jakotsu narrowed his eyes. "Foolish girl." he said to himself before he began coughing again. Though he hated to admit it, he was very ill. But he would be damned if he received help from that wench.

For what almost seemed like an half hour, Kagome finally returned. Her hands were covered with dirt and in them she held a variety of herbs. She had snuck out and scoured the forest for certain herbs that would aid the sick man. Kaede had told her that certain green herbs could recover strength and brown herbs could restore the health of the ill. If she mixed the two she could have a remedy for Jakotsu's cold. She stumbled down beside him and grabbed a bowl that was lying near him. "Just be patient, this will help you, okay?" she said and she poured the sake out of the bowl and filled it with water and tossed the two herbs in.

Jakotsu would've sat up and slapped her if he felt like it, but he didn't. He suppressed his oncoming cough with his hand and he glanced over at her. She was crushing the herbs together in the bowl and stirring it around in the water. The water turned a sickly brown color which looked objectionable in sight and probably taste. "I'm not drinking that you crazy wench!" he said in protest.

Kagome ignored him and held the bowl of brown water in her hand as she approached him. "It'll make you better." she promised. Jakotsu moved away from her and turned his head to the side. "Come on, stop being stubborn!" she yelled.

Jakotsu glared at her. She was pushing him over the edge and he was a second away from slapping her silly. He could of easily sat up and choked her, but the aching in his back prevented him from doing so. "Get away from me with that stuff, it smells gross!" he said, twisting his face in disgust. His eyes widened when he felt his head being lifted from the futon and the bowl being forced to his lips. He gasped and some of the vile liquid seeped into his mouth. He immediately gagged and spat the concoction out. He glared at Kagome and lifted his hand to slap her but she quickly moved out of the way. "You bitch!" he gasped out. He covered his mouth as he began coughing again. He turned his head away from her and looked at the wall. 'I can't believe I missed...I must be really sick.' he thought.

Kagome moved back towards him and glared at the sick man. Why was he being so stubborn? He knew that he was sick, but yet he still refused her help. Kagome sighed. 'Man, this guy is difficult, but I can't let him go on like this. It's not like his comrades will come to his aid.' She thought sadly. Kagome didn't want to do this, but she had to get the medicine into him somehow. Kagome pinched her nose and sipped the brown liquid into her mouth. She felt like she was going to puke, but what she was going to do next was worse. 'Here goes.' she thought as she moved closer to the unsuspecting man.

It had gotten quiet, too quiet. He didn't hear her leave so she was still in the room. Jakotsu slowly turned his head back to Kagome and he got the surprise of his lifetime. He widened his eyes but he didn't have time to react when he saw the girl coming towards him with puckered lips. Her lips forcefully met with his and the worst part was yet to come. He cringed as he tasted the nasty brown juice slipping into his mouth. Kagome moved her mouth away from his and quickly clamped her hand over his mouth so that he wouldn't spit the liquid out. His eyes began to water and he wanted to puke, but he hadn't swallowed the liquid yet.

He began to struggle, but she kept her hand clamped over his mouth. "Just swallow it!" she urged. She pinched his nose with her other hand and he stopped struggling. He glared at her and a few seconds later he swallowed the medicine since he had no choice. "There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" she said as she stood up.

He was disgusted. He was repulsed. How dare she violate him like that? He cringed at the thought of her lips pressing against his. "Get out, you wretch!" he yelled in a hoarse voice.

Kagome did as she was told and left him in peace. "Goodnight." she said as she closed the door.

Jakotsu squeezed his eyes shut and tried his best to sleep. 'That wench, how dare she put her disgusting lips on me.' he thought with anger. His expression softened at bit. 'Was she that desperate to help me?'

Kagome tip-toed back into her original room and slowly slid the door open and stepped in quietly. She noticed that Bankotsu was still sleeping, completely nude. A faint blush covered her cheeks as she turned to close the door once more.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked.

Kagome jumped and quickly turned to face the leader of the Shichinintai. She could've sworn that he was sleeping. "U-Um...I went to go check on Jakotsu. He was very sick." she quickly explained. He didn't look too happy with her answer.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "You better not be lying, Kagome." He said with his intense blue gaze fixated upon her.

Kagome shook her head. "I'm not." she simply said. Under the circumstances, he shouldn't have any problems trusting her by now. She could've attempted to escape long ago, but she didn't.

Bankotsu smirked. "Good, you're a smart girl...now show me how smart you are and come over here." he said with a grin, patting the space next to him with his hand.

Kagome blushed again and slowly walked over to him. "Aren't you going to put your clothes back on?" she asked trying not to look directly at him.

He looked himself up and down. "Maybe...not." he said with a devilishly sexy smirk. Kagome began to blush as he grabbed her chin with his index finger and his thumb pulling her face to his and pressing his lips against hers, while loosening the sash on her kimono.

Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck returning the kiss and thought to herself 'Oh no, not again. Why can't I resist him? I just can't help myself. No I can't...I have to stop this.' she scolded herself mentally.

Kagome pulled away from his grasp and looked down at her lap. Bankotsu looked at her with confusion, shocked by her actions. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted this."

Kagome tried not to look him directly in those sexy blue eyes because she knew if she did she would fall right back under his spell. "I know, but I can't keep doing this to Inuyasha."

"But I asked you before and you said yes, but now you want to worry about Inuyasha?!" he said angrily.

"I know but I ...I love him." she whispered.

"You what, what did you say?" he said standing up, beginning to raise his voice. He thought that he had heard what she said, but he silently hoped that it wasn't what he thought she said.

"I said I...love Inuyasha." she said nervously. " And I won't allow myself to keep hurting him."

Bankotsu didn't know why but he was hurt by Kagome's response. Bankotsu slowly began to realize that he was falling in love with Kagome. He didn't know how to respond to this feeling or how to respond to what she said. He sat back down slowly and then looked down realizing he was still nude. He silently began putting on his clothes.

"Well, Kagome." he said fastening his armor.

"I'm sorry Bankotsu but I..." she said being cut off once more.

"You don't have to apologize Kagome. Your clothes should be dry by morning you can go back to Inuyasha, if that's what you want." he said jealously, turning his head away from her to hide the pain displayed on his face. He knew that he couldn't be happy knowing that Kagome wasn't happy with him, that she would rather be with Inuyasha.

"Bankotsu are...are you upset with me?" Kagome asked sadly, taking a few steps towards him to.

"No!!!" he yelled turning away from her leaving the room.

Kagome felt terrible about what she had just done. 'I hate myself how could I hurt Bankotsu like that! How can I hurt someone I love? Oh my god I ...I love Bankotsu.' Kagome plopped back down onto the futon and decided to cry herself to sleep.

Author's note: Kagome we already know who you want stop doubting it! I know this chapter was short, but the next one will be longer!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Hello again everyone and thanks for the reviews. I see some were confused with Kagome's reactions from the last chapter.XD Kagome is a very considerate girl and she always puts the needs of others before her own. She feels herself falling for Bankotsu(who wouldn't he's drop dead gorgeous) ahem, but she feels guilty and fears that what she is doing will ultimately hurt Inuyasha(yes, the same Inuyasha who would go to hell with Kikyo and what not) So, when she said that she 'loves' Inuyasha that's her way of trying to convince herself that she still does, but she didn't expect such a strong reaction from Bankotsu. In this chappie, she's still trying to decide which way her heart will go, but once you've had Bankotsu you never go back...(ooooh I'm naughty) Chapter 6 everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...if I did, I doubt Adult Swim would even have the guts to air it!

"Iron weaver soul stealer!" Inuyasha cried out. The large ape demon was sliced in bits and pieces. Inuyasha landed on the ground amongst the carnage and looked around. He started digging through the large chunks of flesh, throwing it everywhere.

Shippo squealed and moved out of the way as a large chunk of demon flesh landed near him. He jumped onto Miroku's shoulder and pointed an angry finger at the hanyou. "Watch where you're throwing that stuff, Inuyasha!"

Miroku shook his head. "Now, now Shippo. Inuyasha doing his best to find the jewel shards to save Kagome, so it's best if we..." He was cut short when a large, bloody chunk of demon flesh slapped him in the face. He calmly wiped it away and cleared his throat. "I suppose he is over doing it!" he said as he walked towards the crazed hanyou. "Inuyasha, I don't think that demon possessed a jewel shard." he said.

Inuyasha growled in anger and walked out of the bloody mess. "Damn it! This isn't getting any easier! I killed four demons so far today and none of them...none of them had a damn jewel shard!" he yelled angrily as he stomped off in anger.

Sango and Miroku watched him walk down the road. Sango took a few steps forward, cradling Kirara in her arms. "Inuyasha, where are you going?" she asked.

"To find a damn river! I ain't walking around with demon guts on me!" he yelled back in frustration. The truth was that he was worried. He was attacking every demon in sight and yet he still didn't have a single jewel fragment. Luckily it was still morning, so they had more time to search for the shards. He did have to consider that Miroku and Sango were humans and they needed to sleep every night. 'If those zombie bastards touch her...I'll rip their heads off. We might have to find a way to save Kagome without jewel shards.' he thought desperately. If they didn't find a shard today, they would have to risk going without the shards.

Morning had come entirely too fast for her. The once dark room she had resided in had beams of warm sunlight pouring in from the rice paper walls. Kagome grunted slightly as she opened her eyes, still sensitive to the bright sunlight. She had a flashback of what had happened between her and Bankotsu the previous night. Her conscious was eating her alive. She didn't know what to do about anything. The only thing she was sure about was her love for Inuyasha...and her love for Bankotsu. She was torn between the two, the two men she loved were complete enemies. She knew that loving Bankotsu was wrong but she couldn't help herself, he wasn't completely evil. 'I can't believe I fell in love with Bankotsu, the leader of the Shichinintai, the feudal era's deadliest human mercenary'. she thought.

Kagome peeled herself from the futon and stood up slowly. Since it was morning she figured that she would have to dress herself if she was going to be returned to Inuyasha today. She quietly changed back into her uniform. She sighed and looked down at the blue and white flower print kimono that she had folded neatly on the futon. 'Bankotsu...I'm sorry...I really do love you, but Inuyasha...' she thought with an melancholy expression. 'No...I have to let him know how I really feel. Though I may Love Inuyasha...I can't deny my feelings for Bankotsu.' She thought. "I'm going to tell Bankotsu how I really feel about him". she said aloud, proceeding towards the door and sliding it open, stepping into the hall. She gasped when she bumped into Jakotsu. She stared at him with wide eyes.

Jakotsu stared down at the startled girl and narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong, did I scare you?" he said, creepily.

She quickly shook her head. "N-No, you're scary, I mean, not scary, but...oh just forget it." she said in defeat. She then noticed that he didn't seem to be ill anymore. The blue markings decorated his face once more as well as his ruby red lipstick.

"I see the herb remedy I gave you worked." Kagome said with a smile.

"Whatever, wench."Jakotsu replied stubbornly as usual. "Get out of my way." he said shoving her out of his way. The herb did indeed work, he was feeling much better.

"Wait." Kagome said, taking a few steps after him.

Jakotsu stopped and cocked his head back slightly to look at her. "What do you want?!" he asked in annoyance.

"Where are you going?" she asked. She didn't want to be left alone in the room again. Plus, she wanted to find Bankotsu.

Jakotsu glared at her. "This is official Shichinintai business, so butt out." he told her. He then began to think about something. "Hm, but it probably does have something to do with you...so I guess you should come too." he pondered, with a finger to his cheek. He moved out of the way as she walked past him quickly. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked.

Kagome kept walking. "You said that it's important business that you guys have to handle, so come on." She said. 'The quicker I find Bankotsu, the sooner I can tell him how I feel...I just hope he isn't too mad.'

Jakotsu watched the girl walk off in confusion. 'What's gotten into her?' he thought. "Don't walk off on me, wench!" he yelled as he ran to catch up to her.

After walking around the castle for a while they finally arrived to the room where the so-called official Shichinintai 'business' was supposed to take place. Kagome proceeded to walk into the room until she felt a hand grip her shoulder and pull her back. Kagome glared back at Jakotsu and clenched her fists. "Hey, what's your problem!" she said loudly.

Jakotsu glared back at her. "You can't just walk in, stay out here, wench!" he said.

"My name is, Kagome! Ka...go...me! Got that!?" she yelled. "How would you like it if I called you a wench?!"

Jakotsu glared and lifted up his hand and backslapped her. He held a satisfied look upon his face when her head flung to one side. But his satisfaction was short-lived when the girl slapped him back. His head snapped to the left in a quick motion. He grabbed his burning cheek in pain and stared at her in shock. "You bitch! My face!" He stalked towards her dangerously until...

"Jakotsu, is that you?" a voice said from within the room.

Jakotsu snapped his head towards the door. "Coming, big brother!" he called. He shot one last glare at the girl as he quickly stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

Kagome recognized the voice as Bankotsu's. She knelt down by the door and decided to listen in on their conversation. 'I wonder what business they're talking about?' she thought.

All of the remaining members of the Shichinintai, except for Ginkotsu, were gathered in the room. Suikotsu was sitting on the floor with his arms folded and he looked up as he saw Jakotsu sit down across from him. "It's about time you showed up." he said in his gruff voice.

Jakotsu smiled sheepishly and scratched his head. "Oops, I guess I overslept." he said. He looked over to Renkotsu and nearly gasped when he saw his face. His right cheek was swollen and red, definitely from the punch he received from Bankotsu.

Renkotsu glared at Jakotsu in anger. He knew that it was he who had ratted on him to Bankotsu, he would pay dearly. "Jakotsu, have you checked on the wench?" he asked in a even tone.

He was definitely upset. Jakotsu sighed. "I guess you can say that. Why?" he asked.

"Has she eaten anything?" Bankotsu broke in. "She's probably starving by now. One of you should get her something to eat." he said. He was still hurt from what happened between himself and Kagome the previous night, but he knew how to treat a hostage.

"We're all starving." Suikotsu added.

Bankotsu walked over to a nearby wall and leaned against it with his arms folded across his chest. "Yeah, but let's take care of some business first. Renkotsu, since you're the captain of tactics, tell me about this little plan of yours." he demanded.

Renkotsu looked up at him. He figured that he wasn't too upset with him about his plan. "Well, We kidnaped the girl so that we can have Inuyasha at a disadvantage, but I left a ransom note." he explained.

Kagome's eyes widened. 'A ransom note?' she thought. She had no idea about there being a ransom note involved. She leaned in closer to listen.

"What kind of ransom note?" Bankotsu questioned.

"I instructed Inuyasha to bring us jewel shards in exchange for the wench's life by the next full moon, which is in two more days." he finished.

Bankotsu had no idea about all of this. It only made him want to hit the bald man again. 'She has to wait two more days until Inuyasha comes to her rescue.' he thought. He didn't know how to feel about that at the moment, but he was sure that Kagome would be upset. He sneered to himself before returning his attention the others. "What do we do if he actually comes up with some shards?" he asked.

Renkotsu smirked. "Why not kill her anyway? We get more shards and we fulfill a part of our mission. Would Naraku not be pleased with that?" he reasoned.

""No! How honorable is that Renkotsu?" he chided. "We, the Shichinintai, always keep our promises. And if Inuyasha was promised to get his girl back..." he paused for a second, interrupted by his thoughts. 'Inuyasha...you don't deserve to get her back.' he thought hatefully.

"Um, big brother." Jakotsu said in confusion. He just stopped in mid-sentence.

Bankotsu snapped his blue eyes towards Jakotsu, then to the others. "Yeah, just don't kill her." he said, making his point.

Renkotsu narrowed his eyes. 'You little bastard! Has this infatuation of yours escalated into something more? That girl must have his heart if he's protecting her.' he wondered.

Kagome quietly stood up and backed away from the door. 'Should I go in and...no...I can't say in front of all of them.' she thought. 'You can do it girl! Just go in...who am I kidding!' Kagome turned around and continued to walk down the hall to only god knows where.

"Well then, Jakotsu and Suikotsu, go get us something to eat. Renkotsu...I have to talk to you." he ordered. Bankotsu's piercing gaze landed upon Renkotsu, who flinched slightly.

Jakotsu left the room with Suikotsu following him in tow. They all knew that Renkotsu was in for a good scolding and depending on how angry he was he could've thrown them in the mix as well. The door slid close behind them after they left.

Renkotsu looked up at his leader. "Yes, big brother." he said. He was in deep shit now, but everything he was doing was for their own good...or so he thought.

Bankotsu walked over to the table where Renkotsu was sitting and sat across from him. His lips curved into a smirk as he stared at the bald man. "You're really starting to piss me off, you know." He noticed that Renkotsu looked away from him in shame. "I don't like this plan one bit. Inuyasha comes, we fight, somehow something happens and we're interrupted, the girl is saved, and somehow...we don't get shit in the end. You're not as smart as I thought." he said scornfully, glaring at the man across from him.

He was speechless, but he had to explain himself. He knew that if he conjured up a quick lie, he could weasel out of any punishment. "I'm terribly sorry, big brother. I just figured that...well no...it's silly." he said with a false smile.

Bankotsu narrowed his eyes a bit. "Stop beating around the bush!" he snapped.

Renkotsu continued. "I figured that the girl would somehow...make you happy. I don't know why, but ...I figured that you took a liking to her somehow. Please forgive me." he lied expertly. He grinned inwardly, knowing that Bankotsu fell for it.

Bankotsu softened his angry expression a bit. He was almost awed by his reason of action. How did he figure that he somehow had feelings for Kagome? 'Wait...I have feelings for her? No...we just...I can't.' he shook his head free from the thoughts and stood up. "Whatever, if you pull another stunt like this, it'll be your head...again." he threatened. "Don't ever meddle in my personal business, got that!" he said loud and clearly.

He nodded his head and watched as he left the room. His face fell from a forced smile to a frown. 'Don't underestimate me, Bankotsu. You've already lost this game.' he thought evilly. He sat alone with his thought and devised a plan that would have Inuyasha dead before the week was over.

It was a quiet day, which was a rarity in their case. There was no laughter, no arguing, hell, there wasn't even any perverse actions coming from a certain monk. It was still early in the morning and the sounds of chirping birds and other animals could be heard. Sango sat with her knees drawn up to her chest with Kirara resting on her shoulder. Miroku was sitting not too far away from her, staring off into space. Shippo had cried himself to sleep hours ago.

Inuyasha was sitting down next to a large tree to be alone with his thoughts. Unbeknownst to the others, he hadn't been sleeping in the past few days. All he could do was worry about collecting jewel shards to save Kagome. Most of all, he was worried about her well being. He only hoped that the zombie mercenaries weren't harming her. 'Kagome, you'd better not be running off at the mouth, they'll kill you for sure.' he thought. His thoughts then wondered to the dead priestess, Kikyo. 'Kikyo...how could you not help us...me? Kagome has saved your life once...why not return the favor?' he thought sadly. A few more moments of silence loomed over them. There was something strange in the air. Inuyasha jumped up, ears twitching and his nose sniffing the air.

Everyone snapped out of their reveries and looked up at the alarmed Inuyasha. Miroku stood up and walked over to him. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" he asked.

Inuyasha sniffed around a little more. "I don't like this smell...it's-...ugh!" he was cut off when his face slammed into the ground, kissing the dirt. There was a large weight on his back and he struggled to look up.

Miroku blinked as he was now faced with the wolf prince from the northern lands, Kouga. "It's you, what are you doing around here?" the monk asked.

Kouga crossed his arms and began to talk until a very angry hanyou forced him off of his back. He looked around the campsite, eyes searching for something important, it was not found. He glared down at the hanyou in anger. "Alright mutt face, where is she!? She better be taking a dip in the hot springs cuz she ain't here!" he yelled.

Inuyasha stood up and dusted himself off. He glared into Kouga's icy blue eyes. "No shit! Get out of here you skinny wolf!" he yelled. He'd rather be dealing with his brother rather than the idiot in front of him.

"Where's Kagome?! She better not be in any trouble, shit breath!" he shouted.

"Why you shit for brains!" Inuyasha retorted.

"You filthy mongrel!" Kouga yelled back.

Miroku decided to step in and stop the madness before the two started fighting as usual. "Stop it you two! You arguing won't help the situation. We should all work together to save Kagome. The band of seven wants jewel shards for her safe return so maybe we can all work together." Miroku explained.

Kouga's eyes widened to their limit. "The band of seven!!! You mean to tell me while you're sitting around the band of seven has my Kagome!"he yelled in delirium. Without another word he took off in the form of a whirlwind, definitely in search of Kagome.

Miroku was stunned. "Well...he's certainly no help." he said sheepishly. He turned to face Inuyasha, feeling holes burning in the side of his head.

Inuyasha glared at the monk in anger. "You and your damn mouth, Miroku! We can't let him get there first. They might kill Kagome and I'll be damned if he rescues her!" he yelled. "Come on, we gotta hurry!" he yelled.

Sango joined Miroku by his side and said, "At least he's pumped up again." she said.

"Too pumped up if you ask me." he added.

A faint breeze brushed over her, sending her raven locks flying into her face. She lifted her hand and brushed her hair behind her ear. She was sitting under a nearby tree, twirling a pink flower between her fingers. Her almond eyes fell upon its soft pink petals and she sighed. She was going to give it one more try. 'Here goes.' she thought. She placed her forefinger and thumb onto a petal and plucked it. "I love Inuyasha...I love Inuyasha not, I love Inuyasha...I love Inuyasha not, I love Inuyasha...I love Inuyasha not. I don't love Inuyasha?" she said sadly. Kagome shook her head and looked down at the petalless flower. 'This is so confusing. Who do I love already?!' she thought. She was so lost in thought that she hadn't heard someone walk up on her.

"That really works sometimes...I know." a familiar voice said.

Kagome looked up and tried to keep her solemn expression from turning into an annoyed one. "What do you want, Jakotsu?" she said in annoyance.

He narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Wench, don't talk to me like that! And that's Master Jakotsu to you!" he snapped.

Kagome stood up and glared at the effeminate mercenary. "Stop calling me wench!" she snapped back. Her glare then softened for some unknown reason. "Whatever, I don't care anymore." she said in a low voice.

Jakotsu backed away from her and stared at her strangely. "You're even weirder than I am." he said with a wry smile.

Kagome grunted and stormed off. She bumped into someone and fell back onto her bottom. She looked up and frowned. It was yet another person she didn't want to see.

"Go back inside!" he barked in a gruff voice, raising his claws.

"Hey Suikotsu, forget about her and let's get hunting like Bankotsu said!" Jakotsu called out to him before he turned Kagome into mince meat.

Suikotsu walked past Kagome and towards Jakotsu. Kagome stood up and brushed herself off. 'Ugh, I hate all of you, you...idiots!' she thought as she stormed off into the direction of the Shichinintai hideout. Once she was there she stomped up the wooden steps and walked in. 'I hate it here, I wish Inuyasha...'she trailed off. The confusion of who her heart belonged to weighed heavily on her mind once more. She turned the corner sharply and bumped into yet another person. The person gripped her shoulders and stared down at her. She nearly gasped. "B-Bankotsu!" she stammered in shock.

Bankotsu looked at her and tried not to let his emotions overwhelm him again. "Yo." he said in a dry tone. He averted his eyes from hers and looked to the side.

It felt as if someone stabbed her heart. Kagome's eyes began to water and she tried her best not to cry. He was still holding onto her shoulders for some reason. 'I'm sorry Bankotsu...I really do love you.' she thought. She buried her face into her shoulders and began crying despite her efforts.

Bankotsu looked down at the weeping girl in his arms and sighed. He still held onto her for some unfathomable reason. 'What's she crying about? I'm the one who should be...no...men don't cry.' "Don't worry, we'll have you back to Inuyasha in no time." he said in a soothing yet mocking tone.

Kagome looked up at him with teary eyes and shook her head. She wriggled out of his grip and backed away from him. "Don't you get it!? I love you!" she cried. "I love you, Bankotsu!"

His mouth fell open in awe. He was dumfounded, but he was sort of relieved. Before he could say anything Kagome turned around and ran as fast as she could. He reached out for her, but to no avail, she was gone. "Kagome, wait!!" he called. He was trembling, but why? He'd never had this feeling running through him before. Was it good...was it bad? 'What's wrong with me...why am I shaking like this, my heart is racing.' he thought. He cleared his mind from some of his thoughts and chased after the girl he loved. It was true...he did love her.

"See you later, Inu-trasha!" Kouga mocked. He was leaving Inuyasha in the dust. They were running side to side for a while, but he decided that it was time to go solo. If he arrived first to save Kagome, she'll run into his arms and then she'd be his forever.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth in anger. "You damn wolf!" he yelled. He skidded to a stop and turned around. "Will you guys hurry up!" he yelled.

Miroku and the others were riding on Kirara, but she had a hard time keeping up. Inuyasha was so tied up in his 'race' with Kouga that they had been left behind. Kirara landed and Miroku and Sango disembarked from her. "Inuyasha, Kirara needs to rest." Sango said. Kirara transformed into her smaller form and jumped into Sango's arms.

"But the band of seven..." Inuyasha began.

"Inuyasha, I don't even think you've picked up their scent...I don't think Kouga has either." Miroku pointed out.

Inuyasha folded his arms and turned away from them. "Yeah, whatever! But...I got this feeling that they're close. If I follow my instincts I'm sure I'll pick up their scents." he pondered.

Sango nodded her head. "I guess you're right. Kouga should pick up the scent first since he's a full demon, we should follow him." she suggested.

His brow twitched from the mention of Kouga being a full demon. "What are trying to say...you think I can't pick up their scents?!" he raved. "Well you guys can catch up to me later, I ain't letting that wolf get to Kagome before I do!" he shouted as he jumped of in the direction Kouga fled in.

Mirkou sighed. "Here we go again." He closed his eyes and shook his head.

Shippo, who had been quiet for a while, piped in. "What an idiot." he said in a bored voice.

Sango began walking in the direction Inuyasha ran off in. "Come on, let's try not to lag behind too much...he might need us." she said. 'Kagome...I know you're okay.' she thought. She had recalled their time in the hot spring when Kagome told her about her 'escapade' with the shichinintai leader. 'They better not harm you...or else they're on my list.'

Drawing the large branch back, he flung it with into the stream with all of his might. He hated having the task of supplying food for everyone else, but he was the best person for the job...almost. He grunted in annoyance as he waited for a fish to hook onto the bait, he hated waiting. The branch began to jerk and his eyes widened in delight. Gripping onto the tree branch harder he pulled back against the feisty fish's protest. "Almost got it." he said to himself. To his surprise the fish was putting up a good fight. He only hoped that the wire tied around the branch wouldn't snap like the last time, or slip off like the time before that. He placed his sandaled foot against a large boulder and pulled harder. "Come on, Jakotsu...you can handle this." he urged himself. He finally had the upper hand in the man-to-fish battle.

His concentration was broken when he heard sobbing and bushes rustling behind somewhere around him. He gasped lightly. 'Don't tell me that a demon wants to attack now! I have to catch this fish for breakfast or else...but I don't want to be killed by a demon!' he thought. His decision was decided for him when the branch split and the half with the wire tied to it floated away in the water. His ruby lips formed into a frown and a sigh escaped from his mouth. "Oh...damn it!" he cursed as his hand gripped his Jakotsutou. He was going to kill that wretched demon for disturbing him. He turned around and cautiously stalked in the direction where the demon was headed. The bushes rustled around him as he walked forward, then a strange noise entered his ears. He stopped and looked around. 'It sounds like someone is crying...worst of all...a woman.' he cringed at the thought. He parted the thickets of leaves that was concealing the crying person. He peered through the leaves and his eyes widened for a split second before he narrowed them again. 'It's that damn wench...Kagome or whatever. What's up with her now?' he thought. He nearly gasped when he saw a person dressed in a blue and white haori entered the picture. "Bankotsu?" he whispered.

Kagome sat on the forest floor with her knees brought to her chest and tears falling freely from her eyes. Her raven bangs were covering her face, most importantly her tears. She heard foot steps behind her, but she didn't bother to look up. 'I really do love him...so that means that I don't love Inuyasha. No...I love Inuyasha...but I'm in love with Bankotsu.' she thought.

Bankotsu approached her from behind slowly and quietly took and seat next to her on the cool grass. Her small form shook from her constant crying. He sighed. He felt horrible for acting like such a jerk to her, but he had to admit that he was heartbroken. Their first encounter may have been triggered from lust, but it had evolved into much more. When she had mentioned Inuyasha that night, it made him irate, but he had no idea that she loved him. "Kagome," he spoke softly to her while placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been such a jerk, I..." he was cut short.

Kagome lifted her head up and sniffled. "No, this is all my fault. If I hadn't of ran off that night...I would have never ran into you guys, we would have never met." she sniffled.

Bankotsu's eyes widened. Was she saying that she regretted ever meeting him? He felt another pang in his chest. 'Hm, maybe Jakotsu is right, women are a pain...what...hell no, what am I saying!' He shook his head free from his thoughts. "Look, we can't change the past, but we can always make a better future. I realized last night that I really do...love you, but when you mentioned Inuyasha...I got mad and I guess I was sort of jealous as well. I'm sorry about that so stop your crying, okay." he said. Bankotsu wasn't good with sentimental stuff, but he hoped that his attempt would suffice.

Kagome let a small smile play along her lips. 'I can't believe that he, leader of the Band of Seven, just...wait...he said that he loved me!' Her eyes widened with an audible gasp that escaped her lips. She watched as Bankotsu turned to face her with a confused expression.

Bankotsu raised a brow in confusion as she stared at him with her wide chocolate eyes. 'What now?' He thought. "Kago..." He was interrupted when she threw her arms around his neck and crushed her lips against his. They both fell onto the forest floor in each others embrace with their lips locked.

Jakotsu peeled his eyes away from the two and stuck his tongue out. "Ugh...I think I'm going to be sick. My appetite is ruined." he gagged out. He slung his sword over his shoulder and walked away, leaving the two in peace.

She felt as if she were in heaven whenever she was with him. It was strange because heaven was a place he'd probably never see. She didn't care anymore. She was always concerned with everyone else's well-being, but they had never shown her the care or concern she did. Now she was willing to throw everything away to get what she truly wanted, and it wasn't a certain silver-haired hanyou anymore. Bankotsu ran his hands through her hair as they kissed passionately, rolling around on the ground. She gasped when she felt his hand caress her leg, slowly making its way up until it rested on her bottom. She straddled him with her legs and she could already feel his growing erection pressing against her inner thigh. She moaned and rested her hand on his cheek as she continued to kiss him. She then stopped when a familiar feeling washed over her, one she had experienced many times over. A small gasp escaped from her lips.

Bankotsu looked up at her again in confusion. "What's wrong now?" he asked, still craving more of her kisses and caresses.

Kagome looked down at him again. "I sense jewel shards..." she breathed out.

Author's Note: Mmm, Kagome has finally stepped onto the bad side...About time! I don't know why I bothered to add action to this story but Inuyasha is like 96 action and 4 romance. I am actually working on a follow up to this story, but with school I doubt that project will get very far;(. R&R


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Aiyaya! What a week! I'm sorry that I haven't been able to update regularly:( A lot of stuff has come up. Thanks for the reviews and for being patient. I don't have much else to blab about so...Chapter 7!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha's not mine! Do you see me holding the leash?

Jakotsu walked out of the forest and towards the tall burly man, who was staring off into a particular direction. He huffed and continued towards him. "Hey, Suikotsu? Did you find us something to eat yet?" he asked.

Suikotsu peered over to Jakotsu out the corner of his eye. "Quiet, something's coming." he whispered loudly.

"What?! Suikotsu we don't have time to fight demons, we've got to find some food or big brother's going to be pissed!" he barked out. Suddenly the wind picked up, blowing his kimono and hair around wildly. "What the-."

Kouga slid to a stop, kicking up dust into the faces of the two undead mercenaries . He glared and crossed his arms with an audible growl. "I knew you rotting bastards were around here somewhere! The stench was overwhelming!" he growled.

Lifting his razor sharp claws, Suikotsu advanced towards the wolf demon. He smirked and said, "Then how about I slice your little nose off!"

Smirking, Jakotsu lifted his Jakotsutou up and pointed it towards him. "Oh, Kouga, this is going to hurt you more than it's going to hurt me. You have no where to run now!" he laughed.

Suikotsu licked his claws with a sick smile. "Jakotsu, why don't you report back to big brother while I get rid of the trash." he suggested, never peeling his eyes from Kouga. He smirked as Kouga glared at him even more.

He was going to protest, but when Suikotsu had that look in his eyes, he would kill anyone that stood in the way of his battle. Jakotsu lowered his sword and winked at Kouga. "Bleed slowly for me, Kouga!" he said strangely as he ran back into the direction from which he came.

His icy blue eyes followed the feminine man into the forest. 'Why did he run back into the forest rather than just go back inside their hideout? They're hiding something...Kagome.' he thought. He was forcefully brought back to reality when Suikotsu and lunged towards him with his razor sharp claws. He quickly jumped out of the way and repeated the process and few more times when the psychotic doctor kept charging towards him. "You're in my way!" he yelled.

"You won't escape this time you coward!" Suikotsu shouted.

Kagome looked around apprehensively while biting her lower lip. She was praying that the jewel shards she sensed were coming from the other members of the shichinintai. She clasped her hands together and let out a barely audible whimper. 'I sensed two jewel shards, then that must be...oh no, anyone but...' "Kouga." she breathed out his name.

Bankotsu stared at Kagome strangely. 'What's she tweaking about?' "Kouga, what about him?" he asked casually.

Kagome snapped her eyes towards Bankotsu. 'Would he be too upset if I asked him to play the ruthless abductor while I play the innocent victim? No...he'd be super pissed...I have to face the music...I guess.' she thought. She sighed and looked straight into his azure eyes. "Bankotsu, I think Kouga is around here somewhere...I can sense his shards." she told painfully. 'Forgive me Kouga.'

Bankotsu gazed at the young priestess in awe. He couldn't believe that she would actually tell him, ally of her sworn enemy, where the jewel shards were. His ears had to be playing tricks on him. "Kagome...you're actually helping me find the jewel shards?" he said, walking towards her.

Kagome gave him a thin smile. She knew that it was horribly wrong to be helping the enemy, but he did spare her life on several occasions. She only hoped that Inuyasha and the others would never find out about this, especially Sango. Sango and she were like sisters and if she found out that she in some way were helping Naraku...Kagome cringed at her last thought. 'I'm a horrible person...I deserve to be punished for this.' she thought with tears nearly stinging her eyes. She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt someone place their hands on her shoulders. When she looked up her eyes met with a pair of sparkling blue ones.

He gazed at her intensely. "Answer me." he said, gently gripping her chin between his finger and thumb.

Kagome shakily nodded her head. "Yes, I guess you could say that."

"What about Inuyasha?" he said, narrowing his gaze a bit.

Kagome felt a sudden pang in her heart. 'Inuyasha...I almost forgot about you.' She remained silent.

Rage suddenly took over him. It was evident that she still held feelings for the hanyou, but what about him? He wasn't going to give her up without a fight, especially not to Inuyasha. Bankotsu let his famous smirk grace his features as he pulled Kagome's face closer to his. "Listen up, I don't know why you're helping us, but if this is some sort of trick...I'll have your pretty little head." he threatened in a sing-song voice.

Kagome laughed nervously. "It's not a trick, I'm helping because I want to." she said quickly. What scared her most of all was that what she had said was actually the truth.

Before he could reply, the sound of rustling bushes entered the area. Instinctively he pushed Kagome behind him and quickly pulled a small dagger from his sleeve. "Don't tell me that Banryuu isn't going to miss out on this action!" he said cockily.

A tall, yet feminine man stumbled from the bushes and in front of the two. He was hunched over gasping for air. "Suikotsu...Kouga...fighting!" he managed to get out.

The shichinintai leader smirked. "The wolf's here, huh?" he said. He glanced back to the priestess behind him. 'She was telling the truth.' He suddenly became overwhelmed with certain emotions he'd only experienced with his brothers...trust. Pushing his emotions aside for a second he looked over to Jakotsu once more. "Jakotsu, take Kagome back inside and bring Banryuu to me." he ordered.

Jakotsu narrowed his eyes with a frown. 'Forgetting Banyruu...that wench must have his mind all screwed up. I can't believe I have to drag that heavy ass...' "Right!" He looked over to Kagome with a sigh. "Come with me, wen...Kagome." He refrained himself from calling her a wench, especially in front of Bankotsu.

Kagome blinked a few times. 'He finally said it, he finally said my name.' Once again she felt someone rest their hand on her shoulder.

Bankotsu stared into Kagome's chocolate eyes when she looked up at him. "Kagome, I'm glad that you're on our side. You have earned my trust now Kagome, that's not an easy thing to earn either." he explained.

She was speechless yet flattered all at once. She didn't believe that he actually put all of his trust into her. She was surprised that a murderer such as himself would trust anyone. 'A murderer...I befriended a murderer. He doesn't think that I'm going to help him on a regular basis, does he?' "Um, I can't help..." she was cut off mid-sentence when a pair of soft ,warm lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. 'This must be his way of telling me to "shut up".'

Jakotsu rolled his eyes at the sight. 'This is ridiculous. Their lips are going to fall off at this rate. Bankotsu and Kagome sitting in the tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g.' he thought with a smirk.

He slowly parted away from Kagome's lips and smiled. He turned to Jakotsu again. "Alright, Jakotsu. I'm going to go deal with the wolf."

His eyes widened. "Without Banryuu?!" he questioned.

Bankotsu smirked once again. "I don't need Banryuu to handle that low-class demon. By the time you return with Banryuu, I would have ripped his jewel shards out of his puny little legs by then." he boasted.

Jakotsu nodded and motioned for Kagome to follow him. Kagome ran to him and they took off together. He glanced over to Kagome as she ran beside him. It was nice that Bankotsu put his trust into her, but it took more than a few smiles and kisses to win him over. "Hey wench!" he called.

Kagome sighed and reluctantly answered. "Yeah?" He was already back to calling her that cursed name.

"You better not be trying to pull a fast one over us! I know how you women like to manipulate others for your own personal gain and you'd better not do anything to betray Bankotsu or I'll deliver your head to Inuyasha personally! Got that!?" he threatened with a fierce anger gleaming in his eyes.

Her eyes had widened and she was slowly becoming pale. 'That's the second death threat today! I better keep my word, but...Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku...I can't betray them.' "Y-yeah." she answered shakily. They continued to run through the forest together.

Kouga swiftly back flipped and dodged another attack from Suikotsu. He didn't have time for this. They were keeping Kagome hidden from him and it was his personal duty to rescue her. He growled. 'Damn it! He's just stalling me! He didn't even strike me once and we've been doing this for almost ten minutes.' A plan suddenly formulated in his mind. After his last flip he stopped moving, leaving himself open for an attack.

Suikotsu charged towards him with blinding speed. "I knew you were slowing down! Now stay there so I can spill your guts!" he yelled. He drew his clawed hand back and thrust it forward, targeted at Kouga's chest.

The wolf prince smirked and quickly fell down onto the ground while kicking the large man before him square in the chin. Suikotsu flew upwards before hitting the ground. Kouga stood up and laughed. "Ha! The bigger they are the harder they fall!" he gloated.

"The dumber they are the easier for them not to notice the enemy standing right behind them." a voice laughed from behind.

Before Kouga completely turned his head around he was punched square in his jaw. The blow sent him spiraling to the ground. He slowly lifted his bruised face from the dirt and looked behind him. "Damn you...Bankotsu..." he muttered before falling unconscious.

The young mercenary smirked while clenching his fist. He looked over to Suikotsu who was slowly peeling himself from the ground. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.

Suikotsu slowly nodded while standing once more. He had been caught off-guard by Kouga, though he hated to admit it. "Thank you for saving my hide, big brother." he said.

Bankotsu laughed. "No prob! Now get on with removing the shards from his legs!" he ordered.

He stalked towards Kouga and lifted his clawed hands, ready to delve them into Kouga's legs for the jewel shards.

"Blades of blood!!!" Inuyasha yelled loudly.

Both Suikotsu and Bankotsu jumped out of the way of the on coming attack. Bankotsu sneered. 'So he's finally here...for Kagome.' he thought as he glared at the hanyou.

Inuyasha drew his Tetsusaiga and glanced down at the unconscious Kouga. 'Serves you right, wolf.' He then fixated his gaze upon the Shichinintai leader. "You little bastard! Where's Kagome!?" he yelled.

Bankotsu continued to glare at him, remaining silent.

Inuyasha scoffed. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Answer me damn you!" he yelled again. He then noticed that Bankotsu loyal companion wasn't by his side. 'No Banryuu, eh? Well, I'm not putting my sword down to be fair.'

Bankotsu crossed his arms and smirked. "So the first thing on your mind is Kagome, huh? What about our shards or even our battle?" he counter-asked.

"What?!" he said in confusion. "That's none of your damn business!" 'What was that about?' he thought.

"I figured that you'd be more interested in our shards rather than the girl." Bankotsu continued.

Inuyasha stared at Bankotsu quizzically. Even though he didn't have his halberd that didn't prevent him from using melee combat. Was he stalling him for time or something? "I ain't got time for chit-chat, now let's get to it!" he yelled, gripping his sword tighter.

Suikotsu walked up to his superior and said, "Big brother, do you want me to handle him until Jakotsu comes?" he asked, willing to fight Inuyasha if he had to.

"No." he said sternly. "Before anything, I want to ask Inuyasha a few questions."he stated.

"I ain't answering shit!" Inuyasha spat.

Bankotsu ignored him and asked, "Do you love Kagome?" he glared at the hanyou with his serious sapphire eyes.

Inuyasha's amber eyes widened for a brief second before they turned into a hard glare. "What the hell does that have to do with anything, Bankotsu. I'm here to rescue her ain't I?" he scoffed.

Bankotsu laughed. "So, that doesn't mean that you love her. We all know that she has a special ability and I'm pretty sure that you're using her solely for that purpose, right Inuyasha?"

"Well, Well, don't tell me you have morals now. You and your band of killers only want to do the same and I'm not going to let you use her to find the jewel shards so you can give them to that bastard Naraku!" he yelled angrily.

Unbeknownst to Inuyasha, he had answered all of his questions. 'So he does use Kagome to find the jewel shards...Naraku was right about that. I'm pretty sure that without her he'll run to that dead priestess.' Bankotsu thought.

"What is he thinking about? Why does he keep talking about Kagome?" he thought.

Jakotsu grabbed Kagome's arm and rushed her into the room she had resided in the night before. "Stay in here and don't leave until I say so!" he ordered.

Kagome tried not to fall flat on her face when Jakotsu flung her into the room. The door closed behind her and she was left alone with her thoughts. 'I don't want to help them find the shards, but Bankotsu gave me his trust...and a death threat.' she sighed. 'Inuyasha, don't be mad at me. I have to help them or else I'm dead.' She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard slow steady footsteps coming down the hall. Kagome ran towards the door and slid it open. "Jakotsu, what happened?" she asked. She gasped when a large hand reached out and grabbed her by the throat. 'No...Renkotsu.' she thought. His grip tightened and she squeezed her eyes shut in pain.

Renkotsu laughed. "Wench, you're coming with me and any protest will force me to snap your neck." he said with an evil glare.

Author's Note: I'll try to update soon!R/R


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Okay, I think this is the last chapter. I mean I want to write more, but since I wrote this story three years ago it's hard for me to jump ack into it, but I'll see. Thanks again for the reviews and being patient...I suck at updating.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...besides I would rather have Bankotsu instead...:p

Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga clashed against Bankotsu's Banryuu repeatedly as they were now locked in an intense battle. Jakotsu had just shown up dragging his large halberd and they wasted no time to start their long overdue battle.

"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha yelled.

Bankotsu smirked and counter-attacked. "Dragon Thunder!" he yelled.

The two attacks clashed and cancelled each other out. Inuyasha growled in anger and Bankotsu simply smirked in amusement. Sango and the others entered the scene finally catching up to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, are you all right?" Miroku asked, running with Sango by his side. The hanyou ignored him and continued his battle with the Shichinintai leader. 'Things are already getting heated around here.' he thought.

Sango scanned the area for her dear friend, but she was nowhere to be found. "Miroku, they're hiding Kagome somewhere, should search for her?" she asked.

Miroku shook his head. "That would've been a good idea, but..." There was no need to finish his sentence, for Sango knew what he was referring to.

Jakotsu and Suikotsu stalked towards the two with malevolence displayed on their faces. Suikotsu let out a low chuckle. "Jakotsu, I'll handle the monk and you take the girl." Suikotsu said.

Jakotsu's mouth gaped open in shock. When did Suikotsu start ordering him around, he was the third in command. "But...that's not...it's just-." he was interrupted.

"Yeah, it's not fair, it's not fair. Let's get this over with already." Sango said with boredom as she lifted her weapon. Miroku and Suikotsu were already clashing in their battle and now it was time for them to start.

Jakotsu grunted in frustration and he unsheathed his Jakotsutou. "Wench, you will not make a mockery of me!" he yelled as he threw his trick sword in her direction.

Bankotsu yelled as he slammed his Banryuu down onto Inuyasha's guard. The impact sent Inuyasha sliding back a few feet while trying to keep his balance. He gritted his teeth in anger. "You damn bastard!" he cursed.

Bankotsu glared at him with a callous expression. This was as far as he was going to get, he wouldn't allow him anywhere near Kagome. "Come on Inuyasha, you're going to have to do a lot better than that if you plan to rescue Kagome." he mocked.

He had enough of this. He had let it slide before, but he was mentioning Kagome's name too many times for comfort. "You keep her name out of your filthy mouth, Bankotsu!" Inuyasha seethed.

He was making him upset, but he truly wanted to piss him off. Bankotsu laughed a little. "What's wrong? Are you jealous? Kagome doesn't need a half-breed like you, Inuyasha. Naraku told me that you still hold feelings for that dead priestess, Kikyo, and that you're only using Kagome as a stand-in." he said with his trademark smirk.

It was official, he was extremely pissed now. He had been patient, but this time he went too far. "You son of a bitch!!! I'm gonna rip your fucking head off!!!" he screamed angrily as he charged at him. He skidded to a stop and jumped out of the way as an explosion occurred between Bankotsu and himself. Inuyasha covered his face with the sleeve of his fire rat kimono and waited for the smoke to clear. 'Those other bastards arrived already, shit!' he cursed. The battles between Suikotsu, Miroku, Jakotsu, and Sango were halted as well.

Kouga came to and slowly stood up and he had missed a good chunk of the action. "What the hell..." he muttered. He looked around and he noticed that there was a lot of smoke clouding the area.

Bankotsu was nearly hit with the blast as well until he jumped out of the way at the last minute. What the hell was going on? 'What the hell...' he thought. After a few long seconds the smoke finally cleared revealing the culprit. Bankotsu's eyes widened before the narrowed into a deadly glare. "What the hell are you doing, Renkotsu!?" he yelled.

The second in command of the Shichinintai stood on the human tank, known as Ginkotsu, with a evil grin plastered on his face. He crossed his arms and glared down at his soon to be ex-leader, Bankotsu. "What ever do you mean big brother? I'm just initiating the plan you devised." His smile grew more sinister and he reached behind himself and brought forward Kagome, who was out-of-view before. His hand gripped her neck tightly, forcing her to gasp for small breaths.

"Kagome!" Miroku, Sango, and Kouga yelled in unison.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth in anger. He gripped his prized sword tighter and yelled, "Renkotsu you bastard, let her go or I'll..." he was interrupted.

"Renkotsu, I see that you're finally showing your true colors. I knew you were a traitor all along! You won't get away with this alive!" he yelled, pointing his large halberd in his direction. Jakotsu and Suikotsu ran over to him and joined him by his side.

"Big brother, what are we going to do!?" Suikotsu asked. He was somewhat confused, but he knew that he was still loyal to his leader.

Jakotsu was slack-jawed as he observed the situation. Was Renkotsu watching him all along? He as well, would never leave Bankotsu's side. He was more loyal to him than anyone. "This is really messed up!" he commented.

Renkotsu laughed and tightened his grip on Kagome's throat. "Oh really, what of your wench, Inuyasha...and Bankotsu." he slipped in with a sly smile.

Miroku was baffled by his last comment, but Sango remained calm. She was the only one that knew what was really going on, or did she? Miroku glanced over to her in confusion. "Uh, Sango, are we missing something?" he asked in confusion.

Sango simply shook her head. 'We've got to do something.' she thought.

Inuyasha was growling audibly. Did Renkotsu just refer to Kagome as Bankotsu's wench? "Let her go you damn freak!!!" He took a few steps forward, ready to attack at any given moment.

Kouga clenched his fists tightly and growled in anger as well. "You bastards!!!"

"Why Inuyasha, I just thought that you wanted to know the truth." Renkotsu started. "Bankotsu here has been taking 'good' care of Kagome so she was never harmed...only defiled!" he laughed cruelly.

Inuyasha's heart began beating harder and he was speechless. It didn't take a scholar to figure out what he was hinting. 'K-Kagome...is this true...no...it's not your fault...he raped you.' he rationalized. His angry glare then shifted over to Bankotsu in a flash. "You motherfucker!!! I'm going to send you and your whole damn group to hell!!!" he yelled in a rage. His eyes were tinting red unbeknownst to himself.

Kouga pretended that he didn't hear that, he only studied Inuyasha's reaction. 'Hmph, he's pissed.' he thought.

Bankotsu glanced over at the angry hanyou before returning his attention to Renkotsu. He had more than one reason to kill Renkotsu. Of course he knew that Inuyasha was going to find out sooner or later, but he wanted to be the one to tell him. Renkotsu had no right. "Let go of Kagome, Renkotsu. Are you that much of a coward that you have to hide behind a woman? Let's settle this once and for all." he challenged.

Renkotsu glared at him. If he threw Kagome to the side he'd be killed for sure. She was his only means for escaping with his life. "She's coming with me. She'll be useful to find the shards. Once I have enough, I'll get rid of her."

"I'm getting tired of this!!!" Jakotsu yelled as he slung his Jakotsutou in Renkotsu's direction. The strike forced Renkotsu to jump down from Ginkotsu, but he still had Kagome in his clutches. He glared at Jakotsu for a brief he dodged another strike from his sword. He was barely dodging Jakotsu's attacks so he figured that he'd have to abandon the wench for a while. He roughly threw Kagome to the side and she hit the ground coughing and gasping for air.

Bankotsu glared at Renkotsu with pure hatred and resentment, but his priority was getting Kagome out of danger. He quickly sprinted in the direction of Kagome, but a blur of red entered his field of vision. Inuyasha quickly threw a punch and Bankotsu quickly side-stepped avoiding the blow by an inch. "Get out of my way half demon!" he yelled as he swung his Banryuu at him, forcing him to jump away from him.

"Bankotsu." Inuyasha said his name as if it were dripping with poison. "I'll kill you for what you did to Kagome!" he stated.

"I don't have time for this! Kagome's in danger as we speak and she'll be killed if she's in the way of this battle." Bankotsu said.

Miroku held his staff tightly and Sango did the same with her Hiraikotsu. "Sango, I don't know exactly what's going on, but we have to help somehow." he said. Sango nodded in agreement. So far, Jakotsu and Renkotsu were battling, Inuyasha and Bankotsu were giving each other death glares, and Suikotsu and Kouga were glaring at each other, ready to fight at any moment.

Sango gasped when she saw Ginkotsu pointing his cannons in their direction and fired. "Kirara!" she called. The large, two-tailed cat raced over to her mistress and scooped both her and Miroku onto her back. Once they were in the air they continued dodging the blasts from Ginkotsu.

Jakotsu continued slicing his sword at Renkotsu, not giving him a chance to pull out any of his own tricks. "How dare you betray big brother! I'll slice your head off you treacherous bastard." he yelled.

Renkotsu quickly rolled to the side and missed another one of Jakotsu's attacks. He quickly pointed his hand out to Jakotsu and sent his wire threads towards him and watched as they coiled around his body. "Burn in hell, Jakotsu!" he laughed. He was seconds away from setting Jakotsu ablaze until a fairly large rock connected with his skull. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees while clutching his head, which had a warm crimson liquid trickling from it.

Jakotsu looked over in the direction where the rock came from and he saw Kagome on her knees breathing heavily with anger. 'Kagome?' he thought in confusion. He wasted no time in getting himself unraveled from the metal threads while Renkotsu was out of commission. "Let's finish this!" he yelled.

Renkotsu ignored Jakotsu and glared at the young priestess. "You little bitch!" he hissed in anger as he redirected his fire wires at her

Kagome screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for her end. She then felt someone run into her, pushing her out of the way. She hissed in pain as she hit the ground roughly and shortly after she opened up her eyes. She gasped when she saw Jakotsu moving off of her. 'He...saved my life?' Kagome thought.

Jakotsu stood up and glanced behind him. "You better get out of here, Kagome!" he yelled. She nodded and got onto her feet and started running away.

Kouga glared at Suikotsu and he did the same. "Well, you got the first move." Kouga said and he held his fists up.

Suikotsu grunted in frustration. "I don't have time for you!" he said as he jumped away from Kouga and made his way over to Jakotsu to lend him a hand.

"Hey!" Kouga said. Usually he would've went after him, but things were getting so confusing that he decided to take no action. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" he questioned aloud. He then looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Kagome running in no particular direction. "Kagome!" he called as he quickly made his way over to her using the power of the shards in his legs.

'What am I going to do? I have to stop this fighting somehow, but should I join Inuyasha...or Bankotsu?' She kept running until a figure skidded in front of her. 'Kouga!' she thought. She felt a tinge of guilt run through her, after all she did rat him out to the band of seven. "Kouga." she said with feigned happiness.

Kouga clasped Kagome's hands in his own and held them tightly. "My dear Kagome, are you all right?" he asked with pure worry. She simply nodded her head. "Let me get you out of danger." he said as he began to scoop her into his arms.

Kagome didn't know where she wanted to go, but she knew it wasn't with Kouga. He would keep her out of the way of helping Bankotsu and Inuyasha. "No, Kouga! I have to help somehow!" she protested.

"What?!" Kouga gasped. "Kagome, don't worry about this, we can handle it. Take refuge somewhere and don't come out until it's safe." he said.

She grunted in frustration. "That's how I got kidnaped by the lunatic in the first place! I'm going to stop all of this madness and you'd better not stand in my way!" she yelled at Kouga.

Kouga stared at her in shock as she ran off. After he snapped out of his stupor he said, "Whoa, I love a woman who takes charge." He watched as the girl of his dreams ran to make a change in the world.

"Get out of the way you damn half-breed!" Bankotsu yelled as he kicked Inuyasha square in his abdomen. "I said we can finish this later! Surprisingly, there is someone else I'd rather kill more than you!"

Inuyasha growled as he began to stand up once more. "Don't worry. I'll kill you first then I'll kill Renkotsu and the others so you can all have one big party in hell!" he retorted. He lifted his Tetsusaiga once more and it began to whirl with wind.

Bankotsu wasted no time to lift his Banryuu. "Ha! It's your funeral!" His halberd began to glow an ominously red color.

"Stoooppp!!!" A girl's voice cried, capturing the attention of the two men who were seconds away from killing each other. Kagome staggered up to them breathing heavily. She looked at Inuyasha who was staring at her with mixed emotions and her heart dropped. She then shifted her gaze over to Bankotsu who held a blank expression over his features. She had nothing to say so she remained silent.

Inuyasha took a few steps towards Kagome. "Kagome..are you all right...I'm sorry that I wasn't here to protect you. Just let me avenge your pain and suffering and I'll take you back home." he offered with a sincere look in his eyes.

Kagome bit her lip and shook her head. "No, I'm fine." she said timidly. 'Just tell him what's going on Kagome...he'll understand, right?' she thought.

He knew that she was suffering inside, that's why it was imperative that he kill Bankotsu. "Kagome stand back while I take care of Bankotsu." he ordered as he pushed her behind him and pointed his sword at him.

On instinct, Bankotsu lifted his halberd again. "Well, come on!" he urged. He refused to show the pain that he was feeling. After all he and Kagome had been through she finally decided to go back with the mutt. Maybe if he killed Inuyasha the only person she could run to was back to him, ruling out Kouga, which was very unlikely. To his surprise Kagome threw herself in front of him to prevent Inuyasha from attacking him. 'Kagome? What are you doing?' he thought.

Kagome shook her head furiously. "No!!! Don't kill him Inuyasha!!!" she cried. "I...Bankotsu and I are together...we're in love and I promised him that I'd help him find the rest of the jewel shards!" At this point she was completely broken down. She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands. Bankotsu stabbed his halberd into the ground and knelt down to comfort Kagome.

Silence. Everything had went quiet for him. He couldn't hear the cannons firing, the battle cries of his friends...nothing. His amber eyes went wide and his mouth was slightly gaped open. Inuyasha were standing so still that he mimicked a statue. He didn't want to believe it, but Kagome wasn't lying, she never lied when she was crying. 'What? I can't...no I won't believe this. It's not true.' his thoughts eventually kicked in. His chest began to tighten and he kept his eyes open, for if he blinked stray tears would escape his eyes. Finally he took a deep breath as he sheathed his sword, turned away, and took a few steps away before...

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's sobbing voice called. "Please, I'm sorry...I didn't mean for this to happen...I!" she cried.

Inuyasha's fists tightened as he whipped around. "Shut up, Kagome!!! I don't won't to hear you, speak to you, or see you ever again!!! How could you do this to the others...and me. You are completely worthless and you're nothing but a filthy..." he was interrupted.

"You better shut your damn mouth, Inuyasha!" Bankotsu threatened with a death glare gleaming in his eyes.

"Fuck you!" Inuyasha spat angrily, getting ready to unsheath his sword once more.

"Sit boy." Kagome uttered sadly. She turned away as he was sent crashing into the ground. She stood up slowly and kept her eyes to the ground.

Bankotsu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay Kagome?" he asked.

Kagome looked up at him with puffy eyes. "Yeah." she said quietly.

"Good," he paused as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "I have to take care of something, but I promise I'll return." he said, while pulling his giant halberd from the dirt and hoisting it onto his shoulder. Suikotsu and Jakotsu were keeping Renkotsu busy, but it was time to finish the job.

Inuyasha sneered at both Kagome and Bankotsu. Though he was torn inside and heartbroken, he would never let it show. He got up and dusted himself off. For a while, he and Kagome only stared at each other, not saying a single word. It was as if the were speaking to each other with their eyes. If so, Kagome would be saying, 'Sorry', and he would be saying, 'So am I.' It was only a matter of time before she finally stop putting up with him. Every time he secretly met with Kikyo, he thought about how it would hurt Kagome, yet, he kept doing it. He never learned from his mistakes. If Kagome were to leave him for someone else, he would rather it be someone other than Bankotsu, that he could not forgive.

"How long?" Inuyasha said in a stern voice.

Kagome looked over to the said, fearful of telling Inuyasha the truth. 'Inuyasha, promise that you won't be upset with me.' she thought sadly.

"Look at me, Kagome!" he yelled. "How long have you...been seeing that creep?!"

Kagome sighed sadly and decided to tell him everything. "It started when the band of seven first kidnaped me. It was a mistake, but I never expected to see him again, at least in a close encounter." she revealed.

Inuyasha stared at her in shock for a brief moment. 'She fell in love with him before we even encountered him. How could I have not noticed what was going on?' he thought. "I...Kagome..." he sighed, when he couldn't get his thoughts straight.

"Inuyasha!!!" Sango yelled. Kirara landed on the ground to too far from them and let both Miroku and Sango off.

Inuyasha broke his attention away from Kagome and looked at his two friends. "Are you guys okay?" he asked, dully.

Miroku nodded. "We evaded Ginkotsu's attacks, but we're sort of confused." he said.

"Who are we supposed to be fighting? It seems that Renkotsu is a traitor amongst the band of seven and the others are preoccupied with killing him. What should we do?" she asked.

Just then Kouga sped over to them standing next to Kagome. He looked over to her in confusion. "What's going on? Kagome?" he said.

Inuyasha glared. "Leave her the hell alone, Kouga!" he snapped.

"What's the matter dog-face? I was just asking if she was alright." Kouga defended.

Kagome put on a small smile. "I'm okay. Let's find a way to help out." she suggested.

Miroku stared at her questioningly. "You mean help as in...help the band of seven?" he asked in confusion.

"Yeah, what?" Kouga added.

Sango stared at Kagome with sad eyes. From the looks of it, it seemed that she was crying, she must've told Inuyasha the truth. "I don't know, Kagome, I think we should stay out of their business." she said.

Inuyasha had broken his silence by saying. "No, let her do what she wants. She's a big girl." he said bitterly before turning away from the group and jumping off. He had to get as far away as he could from Kagome and Bankotsu. Something was boiling within that was driving him crazy.

Kagome looked at the fleeing hanyou and sighed. 'Inuyasha...' She snapped out of her thoughts when Miroku placed his hand on her shoulder.

He smiled warmly. "Kagome, I really don't know what's going on, but we'll help you if that's what you truly want." he assured.

Kagome nodded her head with a smile. She hadn't noticed it, but Miroku was almost like a changed man. Before she could hardly take him seriously as a monk but now his personality truly reflected it. Kagome stiffened as she felt his hand moving down from her shoulder and further down her back. 'Spoke too soon.'

Sango growled as she slammed her hiraikotsu over the perverted monk's head. "Honestly Miroku, you never give up do you? We've got other things to attend to!" she snapped. She whistled for Kirara to join her by her side and immediately mounted on her back once she did. "Let's see what we can do!" she said before taking off.

Kouga, who had been silent for the last few minutes, had finally pitched in his thoughts. "These guys are bad and I don't think we should help them, but for you, Kagome, I will." he pledged as he clasped her hands in his.

Kagome laughed nervously. "Um...thanks, Kouga." She turned her head towards all of the racket and sighed. "We better get a move on." she said.

Jakotsu slung his sword towards Renkotsu, hoping to strike him. They had been comrades for so long that he had all of his moves down. 'Damn! I keep missing him...it's no use!' he thought.

Renkotsu laughed as he hoisted his cannon over his shoulder. "See, Jakotsu, I told you that you were the weakest link in this group! Even if you do stay with Bankotsu you'll only be a burden to him!" he cruelly insulted.

The effeminate man grunted as he clenched his fists in anger. "Damn you!" he cursed. He struck his sword at the bald man repeatedly.

In the midst of this, Suikotsu charged Renkotsu while Jakotsu kept him busy. He sliced his claws at him and struck him in the chest, leaving bloody gashes. Renkotsu stumbled backwards and grasped his bloody chest in pain. Suikotsu stalked towards him dangerously. "It's not over yet, Renkotsu!" he yelled fiercely.

The bald man laughed. "No, it's not." he said. He pulled out a round bomb and hurled it towards him.

Suikotsu jumped out of the way as quickly as possible, but the blast still scathed him. Jakotsu gasped as he ran over to his fallen comrade. "Suikotsu! Hang in there!" he yelled. Just as he was about to reach him, another blast cut him off. He was blown back a few feet and suffered from a few injuries, but his major concern was Suikotsu. 'Damn you...Renkotsu!'

Renkotsu laughed as she lifted up his large cannon once more. "It's time that I bid you both farewell!"

"Hiraikotsu!" a woman screamed. The large boomerang sliced towards the traitorous man and knocked his large gun from his grasp before he fired it.

He gritted his teeth in anger. "Ginkotsu, fire!" he yelled over ti the tank man. When his orders were ignored he looked over to his comrade only to experience more disappointment. The monk and that wolf demon were jumping around Ginkotsu, distracting him from causing any real damage. "You bastards will pay!"

"Not as much as you will, Renkotsu!" a man yelled.

Renkotsu looked in the direction of the voice and sneered as Bankotsu approached him. 'Damn it all!" he cursed.

Jakotsu smiled. 'Bankotsu...I didn't think we'd pull it off without you.' he thought. He sat up slowly despite the pain shooting throughout his body. The blast must've hit him after all. He looked over to Suikotsu and noticed that he was sitting up as well. It looked as though everyone was okay.

Sango landed beside Jakotsu and glared at him. "Are you okay?" she asked angrily.

He sneered. "Screw you, wench!" he yelled.

Sango rolled her eyes. "I only helped you because Kagome asked me to!" she snapped.

Jakotsu's expression fell from angry to shocked. "Kagome..." he muttered. 'She's...helping us?'

Renkotsu backed away from his former leader in fear. He had used the last of his bombs and the woman had destroyed his gun. He didn't even have enough tonic for his fire wire trick...he was screwed. He smirked as he backed away from him. "Bankotsu, do you honestly think that by killing me all your problems would be solved. You still have to worry about Naraku and the jewel shards!" he yelled. He was known for being manipulative, but he didn't think it was going to bail him out of this situation.

Bankotsu laughed. "Come on, Renkotsu, your little mind games won't work. Besides, killing you would be lifting a lot of problems from my shoulder. You're as good as dead." he said. He charged towards his former comrade, ready to cut him down until...

"RENKOTSU!!!" a loud voice entered the atmosphere. Ginkotsu ignored the two men who were trying to distract him and turned his guns towards Bankotsu and fired.

"Bankotsu!!!" Kagome screamed as she ran across the battlefield towards the aforementioned man.

"No Kagome!!!" Kouga screamed as she charged towards her with all of his might to get her out of the way of the blast. He quickly scooped her up and dove into some nearby bushes.

The blast landed between the two men, blasting them in separate directions. Bankotsu lifted his Banryuu to shield him from most of the blast, but he was still blown several feet back. 'Damn, I completely forgot about Ginkotsu. He's a traitor...' he thought in the midst of all this.

"Bankotsu!!!" Jakotsu and Suikotsu yelled.

The others in the area only waited until the blast subsided to see the outcome. Kagome scrambled to her feet and ran in the direction she last saw Bankotsu standing in. 'Please be okay...' her mind pleaded.

Kouga sprung to his feet and watched as Kagome disappeared into the smoky area. 'Does she like danger?!' he thought. He ran in the same direction to see what was going on.

Jakotsu slowly pushed himself from the dirt despite the pain rushing throughout his body. 'What the hell was that?' he thought. His eyes widened once he remembered that the blast was aimed for Bankotsu. He stood up slowly and scanned the still smoky area. "Bankotsu! Bankotsu!" he yelled frantically. His cries were matched by another's voice.

"Bankotsu! Bankotsu!!!" Kagome cried, searching the area for the Shichinintai leader. Her heart began racing within her chest when she found no sign of him. 'Oh, please...be all right, Bankotsu. I can't lose you now, you're the only one I have left...' she thought sadly, sinking down to her knees.

Just then Kouga arrived by her side. "Kagome, they could be around here somewhere, let's go." he said. He gently grabbed her arm to try to help her up, but she was as stiff as a board. "Kagome, come on!" Kouga urged.

Kagome closed her eyes and stray tears began to flood from her eyes. She tightened her fists in her lap as she shook her head. "He's dead, isn't he?" she asked.

Kouga's eyes widened. "Kagome..." was all he managed to say.

The smoke began to clear and everyone seemed to be recovering from the blast. Miroku and Sango ran across the battlefield to give their friend some support. The monk halted to a stop when he noticed two participants of the battle were missing. "Damn, it seems that Renkotsu and Ginkotsu escaped!" he said.

"That must've been their plan all along." Sango added. Sango searched the area for a certain someone. "It seems that Bankotsu has gone missing as well." she said. 'Oh, Kagome.' she thought sadly.

Jakotsu ran around calling out Bankotsu's name ever so often. He was getting very worried and scared. 'No...Bankotsu! Where the hell are you? You can't be dead!' he thought. His eyes wandered over to Kagome, who was on her knees crying with her friends surrounding her. 'It can't be true...he's not gone!' his mind protested. He jumped when he felt someone rest their hand on his shoulder.

Suikotsu could sense that his comrade was in distress. Their leader was missing at the moment and he shared a pain similar to his, but Jakotsu was closer to Bankotsu than he was. "We must be strong in times like this, Jakotsu." he said sympathetically.

"How can I be strong if Bankotsu's dead!!!" he cried out. He felt like he would breakdown completely. There was no more of the band of seven and there was no way he and Suikotsu could carry the group alone.

Kagome continued to sob. She wanted to stop crying, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. 'Stop crying, Kagome...I'm embarrassing myself. They probably think I'm weak, especially since I'm crying over the enemy.' she thought. She continued to cry.

Sango knelt down and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kagome." she said sadly. It hurt her to see her friend like this, but it was the result of a forbidden love that could never truly flourish. For a long time, they all remained silent.

"Geez, I can't believe not a single one of you has faith in me!" A voice yelled out over the silent battlefield.

Her heart skipped a beat and her weeping finally ceased. The two faithful members looked over in the direction where the voice came from. Jakotsu eyes widened with glee. Suikotsu smirked, he never doubted the fact that he was still alive. Kagome stood up slowly and stared at the young warrior from across the battlefield. 'Bankotsu! You're alive!" her mind screamed in happiness. She began to cry again, but this time it was from relief and happiness. Unconsciously, her feet began to carry her in the direction of the Shichinintai leader.

Sango and Miroku glanced at each for a brief moment before looking back over to Kagome. In a sense they were both happy that Bankotsu was alive for Kagome's sake, but there were some things they would have to set straight with them before things went any further. Kouga, however, wasn't pleased with this at all. Jakotsu and Suikotsu ran over to their leader as well.

Kagome was only a few feet from him, but her mind told her to run to him instead. Bankotsu smiled when the girl dashed towards him and threw her arms around him. He returned the embraced lovingly as he whispered into her ear, "I told you I'd come back to you." he assured.

Kagome let out a small laugh as tears continued to stream from her eyes. "You do...keep your promises." she said. She pulled away from him for a brief second and stared into his beautiful azure eyes. Bankotsu stared back into her amazing chocolate eyes as he lowered his face towards hers. He was a inch away from her lips when someone's voice broke his concentration.

"So I guess you just don't care about us anymore!" Jakotsu whined. Suikotsu just remained silent.

Bankotsu reluctantly left Kagome's embrace and walked over to his two remaining comrades. "Come on now, Jakostu! Of course I still care about you guys!" he explained.

Jakotsu turned his nose up into the air. "Hmph! Yeah right! I guess risking my life to help you wasn't enough, huh?" he said with a childish pout. "Go, go run along to that...woman!" He squealed when he was put into a quick headlock and noogied mercilessly.

"Stop being such a brat, Jakotsu! You know I care about you guys...You're my damn family, my brothers!" he said. Suikotsu slapped his hand down on Bankotsu's shoulder and gave him a respectful nod.

"It's good to have you back, Big Brother." he said.

Bankotsu let go of Jakotsu and the three of them stood in a circle. "As of now, we are the only ones left...you guys are the only ones I trust." he said. Jakostu squealed as he latched onto him with happiness.

Sango and Miroku approached the trio with stern looks on their faces. Sango stepped up. "Sorry to break this up, but we have matters to discuss." she said.

Jakotsu sneered. "Get away wench!"

Suikotsu looked over to his leader and asked, "What are we going to do with them?"

Bankotsu turned towards the monk and the demon slayer with question. "What the hell do you mean?" He began to approach them, but a green and white blur dash in front of him.

"Wait!" she said. "What they're trying to say is..."

"We don't trust you!" Kouga's voice broke in.

Jakotsu and Suikotsu readied themselves for battle. Bankotsu glared at Sango, Miroku, and Kouga. "Do you guys really wanna start with us now?" he said dangerously.

"Hey! Stop it!" Kagome yelled, standing between the two opposing groups. "Let's settle this like civilized people. Just don't fight each other, okay?" she said, trying to reason with them. "Look, we all helped each in a way, remember? Sango...Miroku, they could've killed me long ago, but they didn't. Bankotsu, Jakotsu, and Suikotsu, Sango and Miroku helped you guys even if it went against everything they stood for and they helped because I asked and they cared about my feelings. Now, I can't have you guys fighting each after we've been through so much so let's try to start over with a clean slate." Kagome said.

The two groups though for a moment. Miroku sighed, "This is hard, but I have a suggestion. If you guys no longer collaborate with Naraku...I guess we can consider being...nice to each other."

Sango nodded. "Right, Naraku is only using you for his benefit and he will kill you once you served your purpose. You guys have killed a lot of innocent people and that I can't forgive." she paused. Kagome looked at her sympathetically. "But, I guess if you've kept Kagome alive this long...you can't be all that bad." she finished.

Bankotsu thought for a while as well. "Well men, I have to admit that they are right. I've had my suspicions about Naraku for a while, but our need for the jewels surpass any other." he paused. He caught a glimpse of Kagome's pleading, puppy dog eyes and he smiled slightly. "But, I guess that we'll just have to defend the ones we have...as long as you don't get in the way of our other plans." he said.

"Fine." Miroku and Sango grumbled.

"What!?" Kouga yelled. "I guess I'll just have to kill Naraku myself since you two have joined forces. I'll have to consider you guys my enemies now!" he said sternly.

"Kouga, just drop it! You're not helping the situation! Didn't you hear a word they've said!?" Kagome yelled.

Kouga softened his expression and remained silent.

Bankotsu glanced at the others for a second and figured they've come to terms. "Well, now that it's settled...let's celebrate with some sake!" he declared.

Suikotsu and Jakotsu sighed. "I guess some things are still the same."

Nightfall fell upon them sooner than they expected and with each passing moment the raucous events that occurred earlier now became an afterthought. For a moment, everything seemed to be resolved. They had nothing to fret over, save for Naraku and of course a very angry and jealous hanyou by the name of, Inuyasha, but other than that all was well. After enjoying a dinner of fish roasted to perfection, Kagome decided to turn in for the night. They were still residing in the same abandoned castle, but it would be the last night they spent in it, they had to relocate. Besides, the band of seven never stayed in one place too long and a change of scenery was something they all sought out after they had grown tired of the same place.

Kagome walked the halls of the empty castle, lost in thought as usual. For the moment she was blissful about her decision to stay with Bankotsu, but the people she hurt in the process would always weigh heavily in her mind. 'I know Inuyasha isn't happy with this, but...it's what I wanted and I deserve to be happy...at least for now.' she thought solemnly.

She continued musing on some things, but she was snapped from her reverie when she bumped into someone. She gasped and looked up. 'Oh no...'

"Damn it wench! Watch where you're going!?" Jakotsu snapped. His hair was wet and he obviously returned from the bath house.

"Watch where you're going!" she retorted. She smiled triumphantly when the effeminate mercenary stormed off mumbling under his breath. She continued walking and figured that she as well would take a bath before retreating to bed. After all she was covered in dirt and grime from her travels.

After searching for the bath house for a few moments she finally stumbled upon a door which had steam seeping out from between the cracks. She clasped her hands together in delight. "Yay! Finally! I was about to give up on it." Kagome knelt down and slipped off her socks and shoes so that she wouldn't track dirt into the room.

Inside the room there was a small indoor hot spring inside. The original occupants of the castle were wise to choose such a location, the princess of the castle must've been really pampered...before she was killed. Kagome cast the grim thoughts aside and headed over to the hot spring. She undressed herself and neatly folded her uniform. She had to wash it out before she could wear it again anyway. She slipped down into the water slowly and sighed with comfort when she was completely submerged by the soothing water.

'Ahh...this feels like heaven. I'm glad that I can finally unwind like this. Today was rough, but it's all over now. I'm glad the others decided to accept my choice...well everyone except Inuyasha...' Kagome sighed heavily as her thoughts trailed over to the hanyou. Of course she was upset that things turned out the way they did for him, but for once in a long time she was actually happy. Now everything was even, she could be happy with Bankotsu while Inuyasha could prance along with Kikyo without regrets, that is if he ever had any. 'This is the first time that the thought of Inuyasha and Kikyo being together doesn't make my heartache. I'm glad that I was able to move on.' she thought happily.

Kagome submerged her head under water and plopped back up a few seconds later. She whipped around when she heard the door slide close. She was shocked and relieved at the same time when she realized who it was. As always, her face turned red. "W-what are you doing, Bankotsu?!" she yelped. She had to admit the guy had a way of sneaking up on her. Within one minute of entering the room he was already getting undressed.

Bankotsu stared at her innocently as he said, "What do you mean? Jakotsu told me that you were headed to the bath so I decided to join you. Something wrong?" He couldn't help but to let his famous smirk grace his features when her face turned even redder.

Kagome turned away from him to hide her flushed face. Every time it came down to this she always got so nervous. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach stirring about once again. Before she knew it he climbed into the hot spring with her acting completely natural. 'Well he's certainly comfortable being naked around people.' she thought.

Bankotsu settled down into the water comfortably and looked over to Kagome. She was on the other side of the 6 foot wide hot spring with her arms crossed over her chest nervously. 'Geez, she's still shy! I thought she'd be comfortable with me by now.' he mused. "Hey Kagome, you know the drill. I don't like being isolated." he said calmly, resting with his hands crossed behind his head.

Kagome, with little hesitation, moved closer to him without acquiesce. Once she was close enough Bankotsu immediately draped his arm around her and pulled her even closer to him. The butterflies became even more excited now that their nude bodies were touching. 'Relax...breath...' She looked over to him and smiled. She noticed that he had taken his braid down and it cascaded over his shoulders in beautiful obsidian waves.

"You took your hair down by yourself?" she asked, making small conversation. She was trying to prevent her mind from straying to anything naughty.

"Huh? Nah, Jakotsu did. He always likes playing with my hair and stuff. He has a fit if he finds one knot." he said with a laugh.

Kagome laughed softly and slowly rested her head on Bankotsu's shoulder, feeling more comfortable around him. Bankotsu snuggled her even closer. 'I'm so happy whenever I'm with him, but it won't be like this for long. I bet Renkotsu will come back for us...and I can't forget about Naraku! He'll take the shards from them and...kill them. Bankotsu...' she thought sadly. A small gasp escaped her mouth after the horrid thoughts crossed her mind.

Bankotsu looked over to her. "Hey, what's wrong? You look worried about something."

Kagome laughed sheepishly. "It's nothing." she lied. 'I definitely have to learn how not to be so obvious.'

Bankotsu stared at her for a moment. Of course he could tell that she was lying, an innocent girl like her was far from mastering the art of deception. "Come on now, I can clearly see it in your face, now spill." he urged.

She sighed softly. "I'm just worried about you. I mean, everything seems fine now, but what happens when Naraku returns? He's merciless and he only uses people for his own benefit! He'll come back for the jewel shards and you'll die. I don't want that to happen..." she revealed. Her voice became weaker at the end of her statement and her eyes became glassy.

Bankotsu stared at her in awe. She had given those issues more thought than he had, and it was his neck on the line. Was she truly worried about his well being that the thought of him being endangered scared her? He felt exactly the same about her. "To tell you the truth, I didn't give that much thought." A smug smile then appeared on his lips. "I guess you can say that I'm not that worried about Naraku or anyone else who's out to get me." he said boldly.

"Bankotsu..." Kagome couldn't believe how laid back he could be especially about Naraku. "I don't think you understand. Naraku is pure evil and he's always scheming something. If you're no longer on his side then you're as good as dead. What will you do?" she asked. She was really serious about this matter, but she didn't want to seem too paranoid.

"I still say you're too worried. I know the consequences for my actions and I'm ready to accept any challenge. We came this far and I'm not gonna get scared now. I'll do whatever it takes to survive and to keep you by my side, Kagome." he declared valiantly.

Her heart began beating wildly from his words. Bankotsu was very powerful and he could take on anyone the only thing Naraku had was his dastardly schemes and evil tricks. She would constantly pray that things turned out for the better. She turned to face him with a small smile and tears of joy spilling from her eyes. She gently rested her head on his chest and melted into his arms as he embraced her. "Thank you..." was all she said in a low voice.

Bankotsu stroked her wet hair with his hand and held her tightly. Kagome parted from him slightly and gazed into his azure eyes with her lovely chocolate orbs. She slowly leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against his. The contact of their lips was electrifying and he was surprised that she once again took the initiative to make the first move.

Kagome moaned slightly as Bankotsu deepened the kiss. She parted her lips slowly and allowed him to explore her with his tongue. His hands slipped down her back and he pulled her even closer to him until there was no space between their naked forms. His kisses began trailing down to her neck and his roamed and explored her body tentatively. Kagome could feel her body aching at its core and she craved even more from him. "Take me now..." she whispered into his ear in a low wanton voice.

Before Bankotsu could react a loud, intruding knock could be heard from the door. Bankotsu intended on ignoring it until the pounding continued on. "Damn it!" he growled in annoyance. "What is it?!" he yelled to the door.

"Big brother, I would like to use the bathing facilities if that is alright. I'm ready to retire in for the night." Suikotsu asked in a calm steady voice.

"Bathe in the morning! What's the rush?!" Bankotsu yelled back. He didn't want anymore interruptions and he desperately wanted to tend to Kagome's needs and his own.

"Big brother, I am covered in three days worth of dirt and blood. Trust me, I need to bathe tonight." he responded.

Bankotsu was about to send him away for good until Kagome placed her hand on his shoulder. She as well was a little upset that they had to postpone their 'play', but she didn't want to be rude to Suikotsu either. "Bankotsu, it's okay, we can have fun later. Let him use the bath." she suggested.

Bankotsu was about to retort but then he decided to listen to her. He sighed. "Okay, just wait five more minutes, Suikotsu, I'll be out!" he yelled back to Suikotsu..

Kagome climbed out of the small hot spring and began dressing herself. She was in long enough, besides her skin was beginning to prune. Once she finished dressing, she turned to Bankotsu, who was still relaxing in the spring. "Well, goodnight." she said with a small bow.

Bankotsu watched as she was going to turn to leave. "Hey! You weren't thinking of leaving without giving me a good night kiss, were you?" he said in a sexy voice.

Kagome turned to face him and smiled slightly she padded over to the spring and knelt down and leaned over until she was face to face with him. She leaned her forehead against his and kept it there for a moment. She closed her eyes as Bankotsu caressed her cheek with his hand and planted a firm kiss upon her lips.

Bankotsu parted from her lips and whispered, "I love you, Kagome."

Kagome's heart pounded in her chest and she smiled. "I love you too , Bankotsu." she replied. She gave him another chaste kiss on the lips before standing up and preparing to leave. "Good night." she called to him once more.

Bankotsu closed his eyes and rested his head on the edge of the spring with a visible blush spread across his cheeks. He exhaled slowly to recover from the emotions that ran through him.

Another loud knock broke the silence." Big brother!"

"Alright already!" he said in frustration and he gathered his clothing and prepared to leave.

Later that night, he found himself outside sitting on the porch since he was unable to sleep. He usually enjoyed staying up late to drink sake with Jakotsu, but he had gone to sleep long ago. Bankotsu sat perfectly still as he watched rustling leaves of the trees dance around gently from the warm spring breeze.

'But what happens when Naraku returns? I'm just worried about you.'

Kagome's words had been replaying in his head ever since. He wasn't too worried about Naraku, but the fact that she was did worry him. She and the others had much more experience in handling Naraku, but then again Inuyasha wasn't much of an opponent for anyone and somehow he always seemed to get lucky. 'Hmph. Inuyasha just has luck on his side. Naraku would have a much harder time dealing with us.' he reassured himself with a firm smirk.

A strange, but familiar feeling washed over him. He stood erect on the porch and quickly surveyed the area . "Damn it, he's acting faster than I expected." he cursed aloud. Suddenly something entered his peripheral vision. "A saimyousho? Hmph! It figures that he'd send you to spy on me!"

The insect buzzed about for a moment as if it were communicating with him. Bankotsu scoffed. "Whatever, tell Naraku that I'm through with his little plans. I'll do whatever the hell I want you hear!" he declared sternly.

With that said the insect flew off into the night.

Bankotsu seated himself back onto the porch and crossed his arms. It was inevitable that Naraku would eventually find out about his betrayal, but he longed to have his freedom from the wretched half demon. A second chance at life shouldn't be wasted and he was going to spend it takings orders from a cowardly demon. He could come for his shards if he wanted, but he would be damned if he succeeded in getting them. He had too much to live for now.

'Kagome...' he thought. He would do anything to keep her safe and to make her happy. He didn't want her to have any regrets about choosing to stay with him. He had to do everything in his power to preserve his life, he didn't want Kagome to be sad because of him.

'If anything...I have to stay alive for you.' Bankotsu thought solemnly with resolve.

Author's Note: Darn it! I always have a bad habit of ending every story I right with a cliffhanger. Why didn't I post this story up three years ago? Now that I reread the end I do want to continue it, but I would need some more inspiration. I'll need to shack up at my cousins house and watch old episodes of Inuyasha on tape.:p Anyway thanks for sticking with my story for this long and giving me some lovely reviews. I hope you enjoyed it!:)


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Hello everyone! How are you? I'm finally back and I've finally decided to finish up the story since I ended my last chapter with a cliffhanger. Honestly, I don't know where this is going anymore, but I decided to give it a try anyway. So after…7 months, here's chapter 9!XD

The days rolled on rather swiftly and smoothly. Naraku had still been laying low and with Kagome in the company of the remainder of the band of seven their violent ways have become scarce. However, there were still the two rogue members of the Shichinintai on the loose and there was no telling what they were scheming.

Inuyasha laid on his back feeling the soft, cool grass beneath him as he gazed up into the blue sky. Things really have been boring as of late. Naraku was still in hiding and he saw no purpose in bothering the band of seven, even though he'd love to stomp a certain cocky, braided-haired leader into the ground. Inuyasha sighed. He couldn't do that, besides it would hurt Kagome. 'Kagome...why should I care about her!?' he thought angrily. Now that Kagome was gone, everyone seemed distant or everything was all work and no play. It was better that way, things would get done faster...that is...if they had things to do.

Miroku glanced over to Inuyasha and sighed as he closed his eyes. 'He's been daydreaming like this ever since...well...ever since Kagome left.' he recalled. Things really have been slow and they had absolutely no leads on finding Naraku. Their chances did lie within their pursuit of the band of seven, but they were as clueless as they were. Miroku walked over to Inuyasha and stared down on him. "We're well rested if you're waiting for us. We should press forward." he suggested.

Inuyasha sat up with a grunt. "Where to now? I'm tired of helping the villages we pass with their petty problems without leads on how to find Naraku."

"We'll find something, Inuyasha, just keep going forward." the monk advised.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just go then!" he snapped, hopping to his feet and walking off into no particular direction.

Miroku watched him walk with nothing to say. Sango approached him with both Shippo and Kirara in her arms. "Well, what did he say?" she asked.

"We're at a complete loss, but we'll keep moving nonetheless." he told her.

Sango nodded. Her gaze then drifted up towards the sky. 'Hmm...I wonder how you're faring Kagome...'

Her bare feet slapped against the cold floors of the castle as she walked through the misty desolate halls. She was being summoned to her master, no doubt to give him her latest news. She approached two large double doors and they slid open, welcoming her into the room. She walked towards the pelted figure without saying a single word.

"Kanna." the cold voice said. As if ordered to do something, the white-haired child held her mirror up to him and an image appeared.

"Ku ku ku ku ku." he laughed. In the mirror, the image of three undead mercenaries and a young priestess was displayed to him. He laughed again. For a while now he had known about the controversy that occurred between Inuyasha and Kagome, and he found it most amusing. All he had to figure out was how to use this to his advantage.

"There is more." Kanna informed in her emotionless, monotonous voice. Her mirror shun brightly again and an image of Renkotsu appeared. Then Kikyou appeared in her mirror and afterthat Inuyasha.

"It seems they all have enjoyed the luxury of peace too long. Let us stir things up once again." he said, with maliciousness lacing his tone. "Kohaku...Kagura." he called forth.

The two came forth from the shadows with blank expressions, ready to execute any plan he had in mind.

Three mercenaries strangely accompanied by a priestess, casually walked through the forest. Bankotsu walked in front of course, with Kagome behind him, and Suikotsu and Jakotsu behind her. Everyone had walked in silence since there was no need to exchange any words. For a while now things have been boring, but no one was really upset about that. They all seemed to be getting along nicely, save for the few scrapes Jakotsu and Kagome got into every now and then.

Kagome walked quietly lost in thought. 'Hmm, a whole two weeks has passed and we haven't heard a peep from Naraku or Renkotsu. That's good. I wonder what Bankotsu thinks about all of this? He hasn't said much pertaining to Naraku, Inuyasha, or Renkotsu. Well, I guess no one wants to think about that. Just concentrate on what's happening now.' she thought to herself.

Kagome's eyes flew open as she felt Bankotsu grab her hand and pull her closer to him. Kagome blushed at his actions and blushed even more when he still held her hand. 'Oh...Bankotsu...' she thought.

Jakotsu and Suikotsu looked at each other quizzically for a moment. "Hmm, big brother seems awfully affectionate at the moment." Jakotsu whispered to the man next to him.

"Does he sense danger?" Suikotsu wondered.

Bankotsu glanced around in the trees with a smirk gracing his features. 'I know you're here you bastard.' he thought. If someone with keen enough senses were to look around, they could clearly see a blur of red hopping through the trees. For a while he had a creeping suspicion that the hanyou was lurking about. On average, he would secretly see the hanyou at least twice a day.

Inuyasha silently watched the group, fuming. 'That son of a dead bitch!' His thoughts raged. He figured that Bankotsu must've sensed him...again. The last time he saw them, Bankotsu dropped whatever it was he was doing to all of the sudden kiss Kagome...HIS Kagome! He didn't want to be seen by Kagome, but this could go on no longer!

"What's the matter, Bankotsu?" Kagome asked, curious about his actions.

"Huh? Oh, I just felt a little lonely up here and I needed you by my side." he told her. 'You hear that you half breed?!'

Inuyasha was about confront them until remembered Jakotsu's and Suikotsu's presence, mainly Jakotsu's. He cringed and decided to head back to the others. 'I'll get you! I'll get all of you and have Kagome back with us!' he thought with resolve.

Bankotsu smirked again when he figured that the hanyou left again. What did the idiot think? He wasn't going to let him take Kagome away from him. 'If we find a way to kill that bastard Naraku, we can all keep the jewel shards. No, we will kill that bastard.' he thought.

Jakotsu yawned and his eyes were becoming droopy. "Big brother? Can we stop now, it's almost sundown and we haven't had food since this morning." he said, trying not to whine in futility.

"We should at least find a place to set up camp before nightfall." Suikotsu added.

Bankotsu snapped out of his thoughts and acknowledged the pleas of his comrades. "Yeah, we'll be coming up on a good clearing in a few." he said.

Kagome stared at Bankotsu in a mysterious fashion. 'He's been acting strangely lately. What's on his mind? Wait of course I know, but he would never admit to that.' she pondered. She felt him squeeze her hand slightly and she looked over to him.

Bankotsu smiled. "Hey, don't think too much...it shows on your pretty little face." he teased.

Kagome stuck her tongue out. "You should talk."

"I'm gonna gag!" Jakotsu said with a roll of his eyes.

Later in the evening, they all sat around a campfire after enjoying fish roasted over the fire. Luckily for them it was a warm night so they wouldn't have to worry about shelter. Kagome finally got a chance to talk to the other two members of the band of seven about miscellaneous things. If she had her backpack she could teach them to play cards or something. Now that she thought about it, where was her backpack?

"Yeah, in my time we can see all the way into the sky with a telescope!" she told happily.

"A what-a-scope? Who would want to look at stars? They're just lights in the sky." Jakotsu commented, not really understanding what she was babbling about.

"Scientists use them to study constellations, it's called astrology." Kagome explained.

"A scientist...you mean like a witch doctor?" Suikotsu asked in confusion.

Kagome sweat-dropped and scratched her head. "Um...I guess they're alike. Oh, and do you guys know what a televison is?"

"Tel-e-vis-ion?" They both said in unison.

Not too far from them, Bankotsu rested on the grass staring up into the aforementioned stars. He smiled as he heard Kagome talking to his brothers about her time. He was glad that they were getting along with her so well. 'She probably misses her home...but she's never asked to go back...she said something about a well in that forest...where she first found that half breed pinned to that tree. So, that's how they met...' his thoughts were interrupted when he spotted another one of Naraku's insects. "Saimyoshou?" he said under his breath.

He popped up and looked over to the others. Suikotsu and Jakotsu seemed wowed about Kagome's conversation so he could slip off easily. He quickly but quietly picked up his Banryuu and followed the insect into the forest. He continued walking until the insect stopped and flew upwards into the trees. A few seconds later some ninja boy jumped down before him. "Kohaku?" Bankotsu said. 'Naraku...what are you planning?'

Kohaku looked up at the older boy with a blank expression. "Bankotsu sir, Naraku has a proposition for you." he informed.

"Proposition? Heh!" was all he said.

"If you kill the priestess Kikyou...he will give you more shards. If you kill Inuyasha...and Kagome...he'll let you keep the shards." he informed. Kohaku's eyes widened when Bankotsu rushed towards him and lifted him by the material of his slayer uniform around his neck.

"The hell is matter with you!? There's no way I'd kill her! I don't give a rat's ass about that dead priestess or that filthy half breed!" he yelled in anger. "Tell Naraku that he'll have to do better than that or else he'd better prep his neck for me!" he warned. He let go of the ninja boy and walked away.

The saimyoshou appeared once the mercenary left and Kohaku nodded. It seems that Bankotsu had failed Naraku's test, he and the others were to prepare for the worst. The boy leapt into the trees and bounded off into the night.

It was sweltering in that damned cave, hell it had to be fifteen degrees hotter in there than it was outside. He had no choice, he had to remain hidden until he figured out his next course of action. Right now he just had to concentrate on repairing and even upgrading his mechanical friend. Renkotsu pulled off his bandana and wiped his head clean of the sweat trickling down his forehead. "Damn it!" he cursed. "This isn't working I can't finish with limited resources, but at least your guns have better fire power." he smirked.

Ginkotsu began laughing in his mechanical voice. "Renkotsu, we are stronger."

Renkotsu pulled his damp bandana back on. "No, we're not. Bankotsu has always been the strongest and with his shards he'll be even harder to beat. If I devise a plan, we'll be able to take him down." he pondered malevolently. He glanced around the dimly lit cave and sighed. "I'm going to get some fresh air." he said as he began walking towards the exit.

He exhaled once the fresh spring air hit his face, brushing the stale, stagnant cave air from his senses. It was almost sunrise and he hadn't slept a wink since he had been fixing up Ginkotsu. He dedicated most of his time to help Ginkotsu because if it weren't for him, Bankotsu would have killed him for sure. For the last few weeks he had kept himself and Ginkotsu in hiding and he didn't give a damn if Bankotsu thought him to be a coward. Once his plan was together he would come back ten times stronger and defeat that arrogant little bastard.

Renkotsu walked until he reached the small, narrow stream that wasn't too far from the cave and knelt down to splash some cool water on his face. He closed his eyes as he scooped water into his palms and doused it over his sweat and dirt ridden visage. He opened his eyes once more and his heart began to race when he noticed the reflection in the water beside his own. "Kohaku?!" he breathed out as he turned around. He faced the young boy feeling a strange sensation of malaise wash over him. Was he there for his jewel shard? Naraku finally had no use for the band of seven and now he was done for. It was all Bankotsu's fault!

Kohaku stared at the bald man as if he was reading everything about him. He concluded that he was completely oblivious about his sudden appearance. "Renkotsu, sir. I have a proposition for you." he informed.

Renkotsu's eyes wavered for a moment. He was surprised yet relieved all at once. 'Hmm, what's this about?' he thought suspiciously. "A proposition, what about?" he finally asked.

"Naraku will grant you these shards to aid you in defeating Bankotsu." he told, as he held out his hand and opened it.

Renkotsu widened his snake-like eyes and gazed upon the three shining shikon shards in Kohaku's palm. "These are for me?" Kohaku nodded. He held out his palm and Kohaku emptied the jewels into his hand.

"If you defeat Bankotsu, he will allow you to keep these shards and the ones you take from the others, if you can. However, if you fail, the shards will be taken back...along with the one in your neck." Kohaku further warned.

Unconsciously, Renkotsu brought his hand to his neck and gently stroked the area where his lifeline resided. This was an opportunity that he couldn't let go to waste. He would have to defeat Bankotsu in order to live, then he could easily kill the others and rob them of their shards as well. A malevolent smirk graced his features as he thought of the many possible ways to kill Bankotsu and the others. He then looked over to the boy. "Tell him that I accept his proposition."

Kohaku nodded. "Good luck to you." With that said he took his leave.

Renkotsu clutched the jewel shards in his hands and laughed darkly. 'This is your end, Bankotsu!' he thought sadistically.

Author's Note: Well I just realized that I probably won't be able to post up future chapters because I just got a new laptop and my Microsoft Word trial ends on the 31st! At this moment….I don't have 149.99 to purchase the full version! ARGH!! I hate you, Microsoft!

Anyway I hope enjoyed the chapter(if short) and hopefully I'll be able to put up more. R&R:)


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hey guys I'm back with another new chapter…finally. It turns out I had another program on my laptop besides Microsoft Word, so…they won't be getting a bill fifty from me anytime soon. Thanks for the tip, Princess Aya ! I've been busy with trying to find a new job and pay off my loans, but I wanted to take out time to finish up this story. Here's chapter 10!XD R&R

It was still very early in the morning and it seemed that he was the only one awake, not that he had gotten much sleep anyway. He sat away from others and gazed at the horizon as the sun rose, filling the sky with beautiful hues of orange and yellow. His equally beautiful azure eyes took in the sight to calm his raging soul, considering that he even had a soul. He closed his eyes and sighed as the gentle breeze swept over him.

A gentle breeze blew her raven tresses into her face. She winced slightly and opened her eyes slowly as she quietly woke up. She sat up slowly and glanced around. The fire they had going last night had long gone out and was nothing more than an ash pile on rocks.

Jakotsu was sleeping on his back with his Jakotsutou clutched to his chest. It was too bad because she would definitely love to tickle his nose with a grass blade to get on his nerves, but he'd cut her in half in a second. Suikotsu was propped against a tree and looked as if he were meditating, but she could tell that he was just sleeping.

She then frantically looked around for Bankotsu until her eyes landed upon the figure not too far from the rest of them. She smiled and silently gazed at him, entranced by his braid gently whipping in the breeze. Why was he so distant lately? At first she thought that she was over-pondering the thought, but now she was certain that something was wrong.

She got up slowly and padded over to him in the same fashion. Once she was close enough to him she knelt down behind him and gently embraced him. She remained silent.

Bankotsu felt warm again when Kagome held him. All of his worries were gently washed away and he no longer felt burdened. He slowly rested his hand on her forearm as she continued to embrace him. 'Kagome...'

"Bankotsu...if there's something wrong, just tell me." she said softly in his ear.

He laughed slightly. "There's nothing wrong...guess I'm just thinking too much, huh?" he said.

"Thinking about what? There's nothing for you to worry about...you're the strongest guy in the world." she praised him.

Bankotsu chuckled lightly. "You think so?"

"Of course. You should never let that go to your head though, you have inner strength too, that's what you should rely on." Kagome told him.

Bankotsu thought about that. "Inner strength? I guess that's all that matters in the end. There was a time that all I ever wanted was to be the strongest, but I never knew why, not until I had something worth protecting." he told, remembering certain events from his past. In a quick move, Bankotsu pulled Kagome into his lap and embraced her firmly.

Taken by surprise again, Kagome immediately began to blush. "B-Bankotsu..." she was cut off.

"Kagome, I always want you to be near me." he breathed into her ear. He heard Kagome whisper back into his ear.

"Where else would I be?" she responded. Bankotsu smiled and gazed into her chocolate orbs. Kagome blushed as she slowly closed her eyes, inviting him to a kiss, which he gladly accepted. He lowered his lips upon her soft, petal pink lips. He kissed her passionately as if it were the last time he'd ever have the chance to.

Kagome slowly parted her lips and allowed him to explore her with his tongue. She wanted to savor the flavor of his sweet lips as he did hers. His kisses were so tender and gentle at times, yet they craved her and he couldn't prevent himself from ravaging her, and she had no problem with that for she felt the same way. Time just seemed to stop again. However, it resumed when someone loudly cleared their throat.

Bankotsu parted from her reluctantly and glared back at the one who dared to disturb them. Before them stood a lithe man with a frown marring his features. "Every time we leave you two alone you're always sucking away at each other's faces." Jakotsu sneered.

Bankotsu grunted angrily. "Damn it, Jakotsu! Don't sneak up on us like that." he barked.

Jakotsu disregarded his attitude. "Whatever, it's time to get some breakfast." he said firmly.

Kagome pursed her lips. She wondered if she was in the way? Jakotsu really didn't seem to like her being around. Maybe if she proved her worth he would respect her more. "Um...I'll go with you!" she chirped as she sprung up.

"What?!" both Bankotsu and Jakotsu said in unison.

Jakotsu crossed his arms. "I'd rather go alone." he protested.

Kagome marched towards him and grabbed him by the sleeve of his kimono. "Let's go!"

"Wait! No! Don't touch me! Bankotsu, do something!" he whined as she dragged him along.

Bankotsu laughed at the sight. In all the years he had known Jakotsu, he had never seen a woman get the best of him.

Kagome walked in silence as they searched for food, Jakotsu, however, couldn't keep his mouth shut. 'Man, this guy goes on and on.' she thought in frustration.

"Honestly, I would have rather went with Suikotsu...or alone! You'll just get in my way...you don't even know how to hunt!" Jakotsu complained, walking beside the priestess.

"Suikotsu was still asleep, and we don't even need to hunt for breakfast." she pointed out. "I wonder what types of berries we can find in this region?" she said to herself.

"Berries?!" he exasperated. "Look idiot I don't think us men won't fill up on berries! You see, I told you, you're useless!" he insulted. He stopped as Kagome stopped. He eyed her strangely.

Kagome lowered her eyes and he fists were clenched by her sides. She remained silent.

"What's the matter with you, wench. Let's get a move on!" he said in annoyance. She didn't move. "What's your problem, girl!?" he probed, leaning down closer to her.

"You!!! You're my problem!!!" she burst out. When she looked up her eyes were glassy with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I've only tried to be nice to you and still you treat me like dirt! I...I hate you, Jakotsu!" she yelled as she ran away from him.

Jakotsu watched her run away with wide eyes. "What? Are you serious?! I was only playing, you stupid girl!" he called after her but to no avail because she never turned back.. Jakotsu let out an audible grunt. "I hate women!!!" he declared. Though this was true, he couldn't let her go off alone. He took off after the stupid girl.

***

Renkotsu stood proud and tall as he and Ginkotsu roamed the forest in search of the last remaining members of the band of seven. Before he received the extra jewel shards from Kohaku, he was in a state of despair and he had felt beaten, but now it was the opposite. He would finally get to see Bankotsu squirm in fear before he ripped the shards out of his neck.

He scouted the area carefully and quickly ordered Ginkotsu to come to a halt when he saw something interesting. He had seen it again, that green and white blur pass the corner of his eye. "Well, well, as I've said before that girl brings nothing but trouble to Bankotsu." he observed.

"Gersh!" Ginkotsu commented with a mechanical laugh.

Renkotsu continued to follow her with his eyes until he saw Jakotsu chasing after her. "Hmm, what this?" he said. 'Why is he chasing her or better yet why is she running from him? The more important aspect of this is that somewhere near, Bankotsu and Suikotsu are alone. Should I go after the girl and Jakotsu, or should I go straight to Bankotsu?' he contemplated deeply. "Even with the extra shards, I should still rely on my power of strategic planning before taking action." he said aloud. "However, they did come to us, so we shouldn't be rude. Let's say hello, Ginkotsu." he said with a dark grin.

***

Kagome finally stopped running and found a tree to lean against. Her breathing was ragged and she was worn out. She knew that running away wouldn't solve anything, but it was a bad habit from since she was a little girl. She was terribly sensitive sometimes so instead of standing in one place to let someone see her breakdown, she would flee until she could sob in private. She sunk down onto the grass and brought her knees to her chest and wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. 'Stupid Jakotsu. He just hates me for who I am, not because I'm a woman...even after I did so much to gain his trust.' she thought.

Jakotsu ran until he saw the girl curled underneath a tree. He scowled and approached her angrily. He was slightly out of breath, but he was going to give her a mouthful. "Oi, wench! Why are you such a pain in my ass? Ever since you tagged along I've done nothing but babysit you!" he complained.

Kagome never lifted her head to meet his angry gaze. "If you hate me...just say it and I won't even try to be your friend." she said blatantly.

Jakotsu was mildly shocked by her words. What could he say to that? Of course in general he despised all woman, but he didn't necessarily 'hate' Kagome. Of course she irked his nerves every now and then as he did the same to her, but he didn't mean for her to feel as if she were completely disliked. Perhaps his incessant scolding and insulting is what finally did it.

He had no prior experience with dealing with the feelings of women so he didn't know her limit. He sighed and glanced to the side briefly. "Look...Kagome, I'm just not used to being with women and I guess I hurt your feelings," he was going to apologize until he remembered some of the insults he had to endure. "But you insult me too!" he snapped.

Kagome looked up in surprise. "What are you talking about?" she felt as if the heat had been turned up on her.

"That time we were in that village and passed that brothel you said that I could be a geisha!" he whined.

"They're beautiful!" Kagome added, not understanding why that upset him.

"They're filthy whores who cover up their cheapness with expensive kimonos and bad make up!" he insisted.

"What's your point!?" she grunted.

"You're not the only victim so don't play little miss innocence!"

"Just say you hate me then!" she snapped.

"I don't hate you! I just don't like you!" he said boldly.

"It's the same thing!" she cried.

"Argh! Okay, I don't hate you or dislike you, in fact you're the only female...friend I have. I guess I'm slowly beginning to trust you, but I push you away sometimes because you are a woman. I'm sorry okay!" he blurted out, feeling defeated.

Kagome's eyes softened and her spirits felt lifted again. "Wow, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." she cooed.

Jakotsu rolled his eyes. "Well, relish in the moment, because I won't say it again." he muttered. He was caught off-guard when the girl charged at him and hugged him. He tensed up at first, but then decided to let her get it out of her system. 'What a clingy girl!' he thought.

Kagome peeled away from him slowly and glanced around apprehensively. 'Oh no...that feeling...'

"What's wrong now? Jakotsu asked.

"Shards! I sensed shards...about five of them!" she declared nervously.

"Calm down!" Jakotsu shouted. He then proceeded to do the arithmetic on his fingers. "Big brother has three in his neck...three in Banryuu so that makes...six! Well it must be him." he concluded.

Kagomed shook her head rapidly. "No...these shards have a tainted aura...it can't be Bankotsu!" she declared.

They heard laughter from behind them. "Right you are! It useless to explain things to him...he's as daft as a rock." A frighteningly familiar voice said.

"Renkotsu!!!" Kagome and Jakotsu exclaimed in unison.

Renkotsu smirked and hoisted his cannon onto his shoulder. "Well it was nice seeing you again but it's time for you to die." he laughed as he fired at them.

Jakotsu quickly grabbed Kagome and dove to the side. Though they evaded the blast, they were both knocked to the ground roughly. Quickly trying to recover, Jakotsu stood up once more and grabbed Kagome's hand. "Let's go!" he yelled to her. While the smoke was still clearing they had a chance to get away. He couldn't fight to his full capacity knowing that Kagome could be injured. Bankotsu would never let him hear the end of it.

Renkotsu waited until the smoke cleared and spotted them running in the opposite direction. He laughed. "I knew you were still good for something, Jakotsu. That's right…lead me straight to him." he said. He had told Ginkotsu to follow them in whatever direction they fled in, so he was already on his way to the others. 'My brilliant mind never fails me.' he boasted.

***

Bankotsu stood up with his Banryuu in hand. A strange feeling washed over him. He could feel something in the wind change and it worried him that Jakotsu and Kagome had not yet returned. "Hey Suikotsu! I know you have good instincts, is there something bad in the air or what?"

Suikostu glared and he scouted the forest with his eyes. "Indeed, big brother. I can feel it too! What of Jakotsu and Kagome?" he asked.

As if speaking them up, they both emerged out of the forest huffing and puffing, both covered in dirt. Jakotsu hunched over to catch his breath. "Big Brother...we saw...we saw.." he breathed heavily.

"Renkotsu!" Kagome yelled out after she had enough air.

Bankotsu rushed over to them. "I figured that bastard would show up sooner or later, but more importantly are you guys okay?" he asked. His comrades well-being always came first.

Jakotsu nodded. "Yeah, he caught me off guard is all." he explained.

"Jakotsu saved us from the blast." she informed. "Thank you, Jakotsu." she said with a sincere smile.

Bankotsu gave a look of commendation to Jakotsu before bringing his thoughts back to that bastard Renkotsu. "All right men, we have a score to settle!" he addressed them. "As always, no mercy no one left alive! We kill them both today!" he commanded.

"Right!" Jakotsu and Suikotsu yelled in unison.

Kagome glanced around apprehensively as she began to feel uneasy about the whole situation. There was definitely something afoot here. 'Renkotsu has more shards...but the only way he could have gotten them is if Naraku gave them to him. What is he planning? Wait...of course! He's using Renkotsu to kill the others and in the end he'll kill him...that has to be it!' she thought. She snapped out of her thoughts when the ground noticeably began shaking.

The three members of the Shichinintai glanced around as the Earth began to rumble. It was none other than Ginkotsu arriving. Ginkotsu busted through many trees, leaving anything in his trail in utter devastation. He laughed his mechanical laugh as he rolled up to the group. Another laugh was heard as Renkotsu emerged from the forest in the opposite direction.

"Long time no see, Big Brother." Renkotsu said menacingly.

Bankotsu sneered as he glared at his former comrade. It appeared as though through Renkotsu's timed planning, they had been flanked by the enemy. However, there was no way in hell that Renkotsu was going to escape alive. "It's about time you reared your ugly head! I know you didn't come here to catch up on old times so let's get to it!" he urged.

"It'll be my pleasure. Ginkotsu!" he yelled out.

On cue, Ginkotsu shot a blast, forcing everyone to scatter about. Suikotsu rolled to the side and immediately charged after Ginkotsu. Jakotsu held his Jakotsutou tightly as he charged after his former comrade as well. 'We should be able to handle Ginkotsu and get his shard, but if Renkotsu has more shards...that may pose a problem for Big Brother.' he thought. He struck Ginkotsu with his sword repeatedly, but it only served as a distraction until Suikotsu was able to find his shard. But of course, that is where Kagome came in. "Kagome! It's still at the base of his neck right?" he called out.

Kagone jumped at the sound of her name. She quickly glared at Ginkotsu and nodded. "Yes!!! It's still there!" she notified.

Renkotsu fired his cannon at Bankotsu repeatedly and in the same moment he quickly entwined his strings around him. He laughed before he unhooked his jug from his belt and took a swig, then spewed it to create his fire.

Bankotsu was not impressed by this at all. He was using the same tricks over and over again that it shamed him to predict what his former comrade would pull next. "Okay, so this is the part where you think you've worn me down by firing blasts at me, get me trapped in your wire, and then try to set me ablaze?" he said cocksurely.

Renkotsu sneered for a moment. "Don't get too cocky you bastard! You're still at a disadvantage!" he yelled.

Bankotsu broke free from the wires like a giant breaking through yarn. He pointed Banryuu his way and said, "Fight me like a man, I have a feeling you're confident because you've acquired some shards, so lets duke it out! I'm bored and when I'm bored I get pissed!" he warned sternly.

Accepting his challenge, Renkotsu through his gun down and charged towards the shorter man. He balled up his strong fists and began firing punches away at his opponent. Bankotsu smirked when he saw that Renkotsu's speed had increased, giving him somewhat of a challenge. He quickly sidestepped to avoid a punch that came close to his face, but quickly delivered a swift punch to the man's face in return.

Renkotsu stumbled back a bit and grabbed his nose, which he was sure that would be bleeding in a second. "Damn!"he cursed. In retaliation, he quickly threw a punch that surprisingly caught Bankotsu in the jaw. He smirked.

Bankotsu was surprised that he actually hit him, yet he was still disappointed in him. "Come on now, you can't expect to beat me when you throw punches like a little bitch!" he gravely insulted. While Renkotsu was in a state of stupor, he grabbed him by the neck and delivered one hard single punch to his face and then let him go. He smirked as the older man began staggering about mindlessly. He flexed his hand and said, "Now, that is how a real man punches." With no further words he threw another array of punches to his face until he was no longer able to stand.

Renkotsu collapsed to the ground and stared up into the sky with blurred vision. Blood trickled from his mouth and nose and his eyes were becoming swollen. He constantly thrust his tongue forward in an attempt to prevent himself from swallowing his own teeth. 'Damn it all, even now, I still can't bring him down.' he thought in despondency.

Bankotsu held his Banryuu up and loomed over the fallen, pathetic man. He looked over to Jakotsu and the others and saw that they were still busying themselves with Ginkotsu. He continued to stare down at his former comrade, who only stared hopelessly up at him.

Suikotsu bounded up on Ginkotsu and slashed away at the places Kagome had directed him to while avoiding Ginkotsu's cannons, yet he still had no luck in retrieving the shard.

Kagome continued to direct him. "To the right! It's right there imbedded in his neck, Continue to hit him there!" she instructed. She felt like they were getting nowhere, but all she could do was tell him where the shard was. If only she had her bow and arrows she could get the shard quickly.

Jakotsu was breathing heavily and realized they were at a standstill. It was probably because that stupid girl didn't have a clue about what she was doing. 'No, I have to stop feeling that way about her. Maybe Suikotsu can't reach the shards but I can.' he thought. "Kagome! Tell me where the shard is!" he ordered.

Kagome looked over to him in surprise. "O-Okay! It's in the center of his neck, but most of it is covered by metal parts. Just strike where I tell you to!"

Renkotsu moved his head to the side and saw that the others were determined to rip the shard from Ginkotsu. Luckily he only had one shard so it didn't matter whether or not they took it or not. 'Ginkotsu...I'm sorry...but if I don't make it, you won't stand a chance alone.' His thoughts were interrupted.

"Renkotsu. Before I kill you, tell me what Naraku is planning." he demanded.

Renkotsu chuckled a bit. "Heh! How should I know...he said that if I kill you and the others I can keep the shards. Wouldn't you do the same, Bankotsu?"

Bankotsu recalled when Kohaku had confronted him the other night. 'Kill Kagome... and you can keep the shards.' His voice stung his thoughts. 'I would never harm her...or my friends, not even for my own life….' "Renkotsu, everything you say further disgusts me." With no further words, he drove Banryuu into his neck. He knelt down and picked up the four shards from Renkotsu's neck. Moments later, the man dissolved into ash and bones.

He inhaled and exhaled with a sigh. "Now, it's your turn Naraku."

Jakotsu listened to Kagome's direction and he eventually struck the area where his shard was imbedded. Ginkotsu let out a loud, rumbling groan. Suikotsu, now clearly aware where the shard was, dove up onto Ginkotsu and slashed it out of his neck. Ginkotsu reverted back into ash as well, leaving only mechanical scraps.

Kagome clasped her hands together. "We did it!" she cheered.

"We?! Please you were barely any help!" Jakotsu commented.

Kagome glared at him, silently fuming. "Why you knucklehead!"

Bankotsu approached the rest of his group with a blank expression on his features. "Is everyone okay?" he asked. With the nods he received he saw that no one was hardly injured. They had finally gotten rid of Renkotsu and Ginkotsu and no one was even hurt, now if that wasn't luck, what was? 'My gut tells me that Naraku planned this all along. Or did he? Maybe he was really banking on Renkotsu killing me and the others, but...damn it! What the hell are you up to Naraku!?' he thought angrily, feeling overwhelmed.

Kagome noticed the stressed expression on Bankotsu's face and grew worried again. "Bankotsu...it's Naraku isn't it? You're worried that he'll take your shards...no...he can't! I won't let him!" Kagome ran towards Bankotsu and embraced him tightly. 'I can't lose you?' she thought with tears stinging her eyes.

Bankotsu looked down at Kagome, knowing exactly how she felt. "Kagome, come on now, it's alright." he tried to calm her. 'So you finally figured out what I've been worrying about. Don't worry...for you sake...I won't die. I promise...' The thought of her being sad over his death made him strive all the more to prevent it from happening.

A/N: A bit of silliness in this story, but whenever I feel things are getting too depressing or serious I try to lighten the mood. I have to brainstorm the future events of this story, but trust me I've been thinking about it a lot and hopefully I'll be able to convey my ideas into the story, this is going to be longer than I originally anticipated.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story and…Happy Holidays!XD


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Hello everyone longtime no see! I'm so so so sorry for updating like…twice a year, but there's just so much stuff going on and I hardly have time to write anymore. I also visit this site so rarely that I completely forget about my story at times. Anyway, I want to thank all of my reviwers I really appreciate them and it motivates me to keep writing. So after (insert very long time period here) here's chapter 11! R&R

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha so don't sue me…I can't even pay you in pennies!

Sango and Miroku gazed at the crackling fire before them in pure silence. Not too far off, Shippo and Kirara were snuggled up against Kagome's large, yellow backpack. The backpack wasn't heavy with the goods Kagome used to bring back from her future world, especially since Inuyasha had finished off every form of food stashed in there. The backpack itself, was the only thing she had left behind, that and a bad taste in Inuyasha's mouth. Nowadays, the hanyou barely spent time with the group, but they figured that he had gone off to visit Kikyo on a regular basis now since Kagome wasn't there to stop him or make him feel guilty.

Sango sighed slowly and gazed up at the starry sky. She had become slightly depressed as of late, but she had no idea why. Of course she missed having Kagome around, they were like sisters, but something else weighed heavily on her mind.

Miroku, who was laying on his side supporting his weight on one elbow, looked over to Sango in curiosity. She continued to sigh. "Sango, keep that up and you'll blow the fire out. What's wrong, you've been awfully quiet the past few days?" he asked.

Sango looked up at him and sighed again. "Miroku, what do you think of all this? I mean about everything concerning this situation." she asked, hoping his answer will put her at ease once again. When Miroku was actually being serious, his words of wisdom were often taken to heart.

He thought for a minute. What did she want him to say? It really wasn't his place to judge or criticize their situation, he just liked to go with the flow. "Well, Sango, if you are referring to the Kagome and Inuyasha situation...I have no words for you. But, I will not hold back and say that I'm perfectly content with what's happening." he hoped that his answer would suffice.

Sango grunted in a low voice. " That's all? You don't think this whole situation is impeding our progress to search and destroy Naraku! You don't think that Inuyasha is becoming a little lazy and lenient about our quests! I mean I don't care if he doesn't want to avenge Kikyo anymore, but I will not sit here while Kohaku is still held captive by that monster!" she declared, her voice and words becoming ever more vigorous.

Miroku simply put a finger to his lips to get her to lower her voice, but he understood her to the fullest. "I know you're probably thinking that we shouldn't tag along with Inuyasha if he isn't driven to take action anymore, but-." he was interrupted.

"But what? We....I can't sit around like this anymore. I'm sorry things turned out the way it did for Inuyasha, but it's time to move forward." Sango added.

"Sango, that may be so, but Inuyasha is still our friend. We should try to understand and help him, we did the same with Kagome, did we not?" he challenged.

Sango sighed. She couldn't contest that statement. "You're right, but still...I'm becoming restless." she admitted.

"So am I. Here, we'll bring this up to Inuyasha and get his standing on this. If his attitude doesn't change, we'll find ourselves a new situation." Miroku proposed.

Sango nodded slowly. 'A new situation? I surely hope that it doesn't come to that. Maybe everyone needs a change...Kagome certainly got hers.' She thought.

Miroku smiled at her. "Now get some rest. Hopefully, we'll have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." He joked as he laid down once more.

Sango smiled slightly. "Yeah, hopefully." was all she said before she retired for the night.

Unbeknownst to them, Inuyasha had returned to the campsite a while ago and sat perched in the large tree in the area. He had caught bits and pieces of their conversation, but he knew what they were getting at. 'So, everyone continues to blame me for what happened, huh? Keh! Saying that I'm still seeing Kikyo and what not. I'm trying to find a way to get their 'dear' Kagome back, but I guess it's taking me longer than I expected. She'll come back with me if I have to force her!' He thought darkly as he gazed of into the starry night.

***

It was another beautiful day. The weather was warm, the sky was blue, nothing could bring her spirits down. After they had dispatched Renkotsu and Ginkotsu, things have been pretty tame lately, but she wasn't complaining at all. It gave her more time to spend with Bankotsu and the others. She didn't have as many scrapes as she used to with Jakotsu, but, she had to admit that she did enjoy them sometimes. It actually scared her even more when he was trying to be nice. She recently found out that she and Suikotsu had some things in common as well. Ever since she began traveling with them he seemed more gentle and amiable than before.

Kagome knelt down by the small stream and dipped her hands down into the water and splashed it over her face. That always refreshed her. She gazed down at her reflection in the water blankly. Her mind began to wander off again, as it always did when she finally had some time alone. She often thought of her family, her school friends, Inuyasha and the others. She sighed to herself. 'Inuyasha....' she shook her head. 'I wonder how Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippo are doing. I miss them so much.'

"Hurry it up, Kagome!" a voice said.

Kagome gasped loudly. For a split second, the voice reminded her of Inuyasha, but as she turned around, she realized that it was only Jakotsu. She exhaled finally.

Jakotsu stared down at her for a moment with pursed lips. Why was she staring at him as if he were a ghost? Sure he was dead, but he wasn't 'that' dead. "Stop spacing out! Here!" he said as he threw something beside her.

Kagome looked down at the object that rattled by her side as it hit the grass. It was a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Hey, where did you get these?" she asked.

"Some village. Bankotsu said that you might need them just in case. " he said while crossing his arms.

Kagome smiled. 'Bankotsu...always so thoughtful.' She stood up and dusted off her skirt. "Thanks. I'm glad that I'll be able to help if something were to happen." She was interrupted by Jakotsu's outburst of laughter.

Jakotsu waited until his laughter subsided before saying, "I doubt that'll you'll be of any help to us. I've seen you shoot those arrows before and you have no skill whatsoever! I'm surprised you're still alive." he insulted with another laugh.

Kagome grunted in frustration. "I'll have you know that I've hit at least 70% of my targets. Why do you think Naraku is so afraid of me! It was my arrow that scared him into hiding once before!" she defended herself.

Jakotsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure. Let's go meet the others." he said while turning around and walking away. "I was minding my own business until they sent me to retrieve you." he muttered.

Kagome calmed her nerves and smiled again. 'That Jakotsu! He'll never change.' she thought before following him in tow.

Up ahead Bankotsu and Suikotsu were standing at the top of the hill waiting for them. Bankotsu waved to them with a smile. "Let's get a move on guys!"

Kagome ran over to him and joined him by his side. "You're certainly happy today." she said. Maybe everyone was in good spirits because of the lovely weather.

Bankotsu draped his arm around her should and pulled her closer to him until she was resting against his chest. "Why wouldn't I be happy? I have you by my side." Someone cleared their throat loudly.

Jakotsu glared at him with his hands perched on his hips.

Bankotsu smiled sheepishly. "And my two most loyal brothers left. We're all like one big family, right?"

Kagome nodded her head. "Right!"

Bankotsu kissed her on the top of her head. He turned to the others and said, "Let's go." He didn't know where they were headed, but as long as they kept moving they'd be sure to find their next destination.

***

The translucent mirror shun brightly before him as the white-haired child held it to reveal to him the events that had taken place during the showdown between the band of seven. She remained silent as usual.

Her master smiled maliciously. "Hm, it would seem as though everything is going as planned. He failed as expected, now Bankotsu is in possession of more shards, what will he do with them?" he pondered, becoming even more intrigued with the mercenary.

Kohaku stood before him silently listening to his devious monologue. He knew this tactic all too well. He'll let his victims revel in their false security until a series of events would trigger their downfall and ruin everything they'd ever hoped for.

Naraku gazed over to the boy and smiled wickedly. "Let's continue to see how their tales further play themselves out, then I will truly be able to manipulate their situations." He spoke malevolently.

***

Kagome drew back the string of her bow tightly and aimed at her target. She kept her eyes focused to zone out her surroundings and steadied her breathing to keep herself locked on the target. 'I just have to keep my target in sight, I know I can become better if I just keep practicing.' She thought before she released the arrow.

She walked over to the circular indentation in the tree and sighed. "Oh boy! I guess it'll be a while before I can actually hit the mark in the center of the hole…or even in the hole itself!" she said aloud in frustration. Kagome exhaled deeply before reaching up to pry the arrow out of the tree.

"Oh, there you are. I was wondering what you were up to so I came to find you. Are you okay?" Bankotsu said from behind her.

Kagome whipped around after he startled her. He simply had a way of sneaking up on her when she least expected it. She walked towards him and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just…" She stopped when she noticed his gaze wandering over to the holes in the tree and back to the bow and arrows gathered in her arms.

When Kagome had requested that she wanted some alone time, the last thing he expected her to be doing was to be shooting arrows into a tree. What was on her mind? "Kagome, why were you practicing here alone?" he asked.

Kagome shifted a bit under his gaze. "I was just brushing up on my archery. You never know when something could happen and I don't want to be useless to you guys. I want to be there to help if I'm needed." She confessed. She stiffened a bit when he cupped her cheek with his hand.

Bankotsu gazed down into her eyes and said, "Hey, you don't have to worry about fighting, Kagome. Just leave it all to me, I'll protect you." He assured.

Kagome bit her bottom lip softly. "I know, but…if you ever need me to, I want to be able to protect you too."

He was a bit taken aback by her last remark. His eyes widened slightly as he stared at her. 'Kagome…does she really want to help me that badly? It's always me who has done the protecting, even with my brothers, but I never once thought that someone would do the same for me…Kagome at that.' His thoughts raced on.

As if she could feel the turmoil within him, she instinctively moved closer to him and leaned against his chest, closing the gap between them. "It's okay to depend on others sometimes, Bankotsu. From now on, I'll be there for you, as well as Jakotsu and Suikotsu." She promised.

Bankotsu embraced her in return. "Thank you, Kagome…" he breathed out.

Secretly, the pair they were being watched in contempt.

***

Later in the night, after the group had settled down in another campsite, Kagome was grateful to have found a nearby hot spring. The men could go on without bathing themselves for a few days, but she simply could not follow in their footsteps. She told the others that she wouldn't be long so that they could bathe as well.

Once she folded her uniform neatly upon a rock she slipped into the warm water. Too bad she didn't have all of her belongings with her, she could always use a towel, some soap and shampoo, but she would have to make do without such luxuries for the time being. As always, she had to plunk her head underwater before she could truly relax. Once this was done she swam over to a nearby rock to rest her head on.

After a few moments of well appreciated silence, the sound of rustling bushes and cracking twigs alarmed her. She immediately flung her arms across her chest to cover herself, but she was still completely vulnerable.

"Hello? Who's there? Hey guys, if you don't want to give me a heart attack you could at least announce yourselves before sneaking up on me!" she whined.

Still no answer.

Kagome glanced around frantically, hoping to catch a glimpse of her stalker before she got herself too worked up. Still no signs of anyone or anything. "Okay this isn't funny!" she cried. She heard the bushes rustle from behind her and she squealed in shock as she turned to face the noise. "Bankotsu, is that you?" Just the thought of her stalker being no one other than him put her at ease. She smirked. "Look, if you wanted to join me all you had to do was ask. I didn't take you for much of a voyeur." She laughed softly.

The looming silence was making her heart pound against her chest. Even though she hadn't heard the rustling bushes for a while, she had the creeping suspicion that she was still being watched. The last place a girl needed to be was alone in the forest, wet, and naked. She squeezed her eyes shut and embraced herself for comfort. 'I'm scared…'

"Kagome." A voice finally said.

Kagome's eyes flew open and she gasped upon recognizing the voice. "W-What are you doing here?" she asked in bafflement as she faced her stalker.

Out of the bushes stepped a silver-haired hanyou dressed in a red haori. "Kagome…I have to talk to you." He stated sternly. He was trying to avert his eyes from her seeing as she was still very nude.

Kagome realized why he was staring at her strangely and quickly sunk down into the water, only allowing her head to be exposed. "Talk to me? Now?! Great timing, Inuyasha!" she said sarcastically.

Inuyasha grunted and rolled his eyes. "Well I'm sorry, since you have such a busy schedule nowadays with 'him' being latched onto you like a leech all day!" he retorted with equal sarcasm and even a bit of scorn. "This was the only opportune moment." He clarified.

Kagome's eyes shifted to the side as she sighed heavily. "What do you want anyway? Make it quick, one of them might be near."

Inuyasha folded his arms and scoffed. "Whatever. Look I just wanted to tell you that the others miss you and seem to want you back. It seems we can't do anything since you went solo on us. Then they're making me the scapegoat, as if half of this isn't your fault." He said crudely.

Kagome fought the urge to yell her favorite two words at him for making such a remark, but she didn't want to alarm the others in case they were around. "Well I'm sorry if you're not getting along well without me, but I'm not leaving them. I made a promise." She stated.

"Feh! Promise? What about our promises?"

"You mean the ones you broke!" Kagome shot back.

That stung. Inuyasha glared to the side for a moment. He knew that it was pretty futile in trying to convince her to come back with them since half of the things he said made her even more upset. "Fine then! But remember, it's not me you're hurting. Think about Sango, Miroku, and Shippo…they're suffering the most from your new 'situation'." He reminded, hoping that would at least strike a chord in her.

Kagome glared at him and let a wry smile play along her lips. "Maybe it's you who's hurting the most, Inuyasha, but as always you're too stubborn to admit how you're really feeling. You only have yourself to blame for this, Inuyasha. Now if that's all I'd like for you to leave now." She said austerely.

Inuyasha, now at a complete loss for words, had nothing to do but to comply with her request, but as he turned to leave he said, "You may think you're on top of the world now, but when you come crashing back down to reality, we'll see who it is you come running back to." He gave her one last look before he bounded off through the trees.

Kagome gasped lowly before sighing in frustration. 'What nerve he has coming to harass me like that…and make it seem like I'm the one to blame here! Maybe in the past we could've been happy together, but because of your countless mistakes I'm with the greatest guy in the world and not even you can make me feel bad about that!' her thoughts trailed on angrily. 'He should just stick to his 'beloved' Kikyo and leave us the hell alone. The nerve of him!' She slammed her fists down into the water and created a loud splashing sound that brought her back to reality.

Realizing that she had been in the spring longer than she expected she quickly dressed herself and headed back to the others. She was still surprised that their argument didn't spark their attention, thank goodness.

Author's note: Phew, I have a lot of this story written out, but I'm just slow at updating…sorry. When I first started writing this fic I never intended on it being this long, but I'll see how far I can carry it. Thanks for reading!XD


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Hello everyone…so we meet once again. Yes, I know I suck at updating, but sometimes it's easy for me to forget about this story at times. I happened to stumble across it while cleaning out old files on my computer and figured I'd post a short update since it's been so long. Then, it took me nearly an hour to remember my old password for this site…yeah that was fun. So without further adieu…here's Chapter 12!

Traveling together nowadays was becoming more of a task more so than a delight. It was nothing pleasurable ever since Kagome had ceased to grace them with her presence and everyday it only seemed to get worse. Now with Inuyasha in such a foul mood, trying to reason with him was futile.

Miroku and Sango trailed behind the fuming hanyou in silence, save for the few glances they gave each other to provoke one another to go approach him and ask him what was their next course of action. They had been walking for an hour with no idea as to where they were headed.

Feeling the pressure underneath the demon-slayer's glare, he finally caved in and mustered up some courage. Miroku cleared his throat rather loudly and said, "Inuyasha, could we stop for a moment to sort things out? We seem to be strolling the countryside, which is nice, but where are we going? Do you have any leads?" he asked calmly, despite his uneasiness.

Inuyasha stopped, but never turned to face the two.

Miroku and Sango gazed at each other in question. Sango, finally fed up with his attitude, decided to speak up. "You can't mope about all day, every day, Inuyasha. We are still on a mission despite the fact of what has happened with Kagome. We miss her too, but we can't stop the world because she isn't here!" She proclaimed, hoping to bring him back to his senses.

Miroku decided to add his two cents since Sango had opened up the discussion. What would he ever do without her? "What will you do, Inuyasha? We want to be here to help you, but our time is just as precious as yours, maybe even more so since we aren't blessed with near immortality like you. I'd like to kill Naraku before my fate is sealed and Sango would like to avenge her brother. Is there something you have still worth fighting for?" he asked boldly.

They weren't trying to come down hard on him, they were just trying to understand him more so that they could work around his issues. If he was completely hopeless, then they would just leave him be.

Inuyasha clenched his fists tightly and glared up into the sky. 'Something still worth fighting for, huh? Why am I not as driven as I was before? Don't I still want to avenge the fates of Kikyo and myself? Does it even really matter if I kill Naraku for her or not, she'll still be dead, right? What is she fighting for? What is Kagome fighting for? Or even that bastard Bankotsu, why's he still alive?' he pondered deeply.

"I'm not fighting for anyone right now, just myself. If anyone wants Naraku dead more than you guys, it's me! I'm not going to let a few minor setbacks stray me from my goal, but it's going to take some time for me to handle this with things the way they are now. If you guys want to leave, go ahead, I'm not gonna beg you to stay. Perhaps some time apart will clear our heads." He suggested.

Miroku gasped slightly. "No, Inuyasha! That's not what we meant, we just wanted to make sure we were still on the same page." He clarified. "But I guess you've tried to sway Kagome to return with no avail, correct?"

Inuyasha's silence only answered his question.

Miroku sighed. "Well then, even so we must be ahead on our way. She is still our comrade, just keep that in mind, okay?" he said trying to cheer him up.

Sango nodded her head in agreement. "He's right, we'll see her along in our travels perhaps. But we must keep ourselves focused." She added.

Inuyasha exhaled heavily as he tried to clear his thoughts, which seemed to become more riddled with 'her' as of late. He wanted nothing more than for Naraku to be dead, as well as that well over the expiration date mercenary. Until then, he would just have to keep his raging emotions underway to keep what friends he had left from leaving him as well. He turned to the others with a plastic smile and said, "Let's go find Naraku's trail and get rid of him for once and for all." With a small smirk he thought, 'I'm not going to give up on you, Kagome, you'll see everything clearly, you'll see…'

Seeing that his determination and vigor had finally returned, the two followed their leader without further acquiesce.

The group traveled in silence as they continued strolling the countryside. It wasn't a bad thing, at least it gave the others times alone with their thoughts. Suikotsu was as solemn as ever, only speaking when necessary and Jakotsu, surprisingly, seemed to be daydreaming and remained silent as well. What surprised him the most was the fact that Kagome didn't seem as chipper as usual. Ever since she returned from her bath the night before she seemed to be a little upset, but before he could ask she forced herself to sleep.

Bankotsu kept his eyes fixated on her as she walked a few feet ahead of the group, idly kicking small rocks about in boredom. "Yo, Kagome!" he called out.

Kagome stopped and looked back at the one who called her name. "Yeah." She simply answered.

"What's your deal, you're upset aren't you? What's wrong?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

Kagome shook her head slowly with a small smile. 'Would he be mad if I told him that I saw Inuyasha last night? Probably, he always seems to jump to conclusions without giving me a chance to explain, but…'

'_You may think you're on top of the world now, but when you come crashing down back to reality, we'll see who it is you come running back to.'_

His words echoed in her thoughts and its cryptic meaning left her feeling ill at ease.

Kagome grunted in frustration as she turned away from Bankotsu and said, "I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be?"

Bankotsu raised a brow. There was something in her tone he didn't like. She was feigning that happy voice of hers. "I don't know, there's something off about you today." He stated.

"Isn't there always something off about her." Jakotsu added with a laugh. He received glares from both Bankotsu and Kagome.

Kagome stretched and yawned. "There's nothing wrong, let's just move along." She suggested as she turned around and kept walking.

Bankotsu shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "What was that about?" he said in confusion. Something happened, but she just wasn't opening up to him. There was something on her mind and if he cared enough he was going to find out.

"We better keep walking before she gets too far ahead of us." Suikotsu suggested.

Bankotsu looked towards them. "Just wait a minute, I'm going to have a talk with her. Wait here!" he said as he ran to catch up to Kagome.

"Don't get too close to her, she'll probably turn into a rabid banshee and snap your head off." Jakotsu joked again, but received a jab in the ribs from Suikotsu. "Ow, hey!"

Suikotsu shook his head. "Don't you ever get enough, Jakotsu?" It was funny to watch hilarity ensue between them, but exhausting at times.

Jakostu sighed. "No, I guess I can't."

After a few moments of silence between them, they heard rustling in the trees. Suikotsu's head snapped up. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, must be some local demons or something. Nothing to fear." Jakotsu assured.

Up ahead, Kagome stopped and turned around when she heard Bankotsu following her. She kept her 'happy' smile up despite what she was feeling. "Bankotsu…" she sighed. 'I don't want to even think about it, but what if Inuyasha is right? If this all goes wrong, how will I face him, Miroku and the others,…myself? I'll be the fool, Inuyasha will gloat, and the others will pity me. I can't bear it…' she thought, feeling heart-wrenchingly conflicted.

Bankotsu stabbed Banryuu into the dirt and approached her when he saw her fake smile fall into a sad frown. What was on her mind now? The more they traveled, the more she seemed to think about the future. He was concerned about their fate as well, but he enjoyed living in the moment more than anything. "Kagome, I know you're worried, but for now we just have to stop thinking about stuff like that. Besides, don't you trust me enough to know that I wouldn't hurt you?" he said.

Kagome gazed into his eyes. "Of course I do, but…even though I have all the hopes in the world that we will always be together, I also have to think about the other outcome." She confessed. "The reason I'm thinking about all of this again is…well, Inuyasha came to me last night and he said some pretty hurtful things." She confessed.

Bankotsu now let a scornful frown grace his features at the mention of the hanyou. 'Inuyasha, you bastard! Is he really trying to take Kagome away? The coward is too afraid to face me so he sneaks around to see Kagome behind my back!' he thought angrily.

She turned away from him and embraced herself. "I can't imagine going on without you, Bankotsu. There was a time when I said the same about Inuyasha, but that seemed so long ago. " She laughed sardonically.

Bankotsu was dumfounded. 'So even she has her doubts…like me. I want this life forever, but even I can't be too cocky about all of this. To defeat Naraku, I need to be stronger. Wait…the jewel shards? Since I have them…why not put them to use?' he realized.

Kagome turned around when Bankotsu fell deafly silent. She was surprised to find him looking so solemn. She felt guilty for even bringing it up again and for letting Inuyasha trick her into doubting her decisions. She walked up to him and smiled genuinely. "I was just thinking way too much again, I'm sorry. Either way, I'm happy when we're together, so let's keep it that way. From now on let's promise to think optimistically about the future." She suggested. Every aspect of her life was a burden only because she made it so, she just had to stop worrying.

Bankotsu grasped her hands and held them within his, staring at her in a mysterious fashion. "I ensure you that we will be together, Kagome. I'll use the jewel shards to kill Naraku for once and for all." He declared.

Kagome gasped at his statement. 'The jewel shards, I forgot, we do have a lot of them, but something strange is going on.' She thought. "Bankotsu, you don't need them, you're strong enough on your own." She assured.

"I want believe that too, but there's nothing wrong with having more power." He said seriously.

Kagome shook her head. 'Bankotsu…what's going on?' "Bankotsu, please…" She was interrupted by the sound of the leaves rustling loudly in the trees.

"See! What did I tell you Kagome? He's only after more jewel shards…and he's using you!" a painstakingly familiar voice said.

Kagome gasped loudly and Bankotsu sneered when the hanyou landed not too far from them with a sickening cocky smirk on his face.

Inuyasha glared at the two in disgust. He hated it seeing them together, it even pained him more when he witnessed them embracing and declaring love for each other. "Kagome if you keep helping them find shards, they're bound to revert to their old ways! Their lust for power will never change no matter how much he lies and tells you otherwise!" he yelled.

Bankotsu stepped forward and glared at the hanyou. "Stop trying to confuse her, damn it. I would never lie to her and she knows that. Why don't you stop butting into our business and get a life? Isn't that dead priestess keeping you busy or are you looking for something else to hump? Get out of here before I kill you." he threatened.

"Keh! Fuck you!" he yelled back. He unsheathed his Testusaiga and stood in a battle stance. "You see, Kagome, he's still the same ruthless killer he always was and always will be. Nothing you do can change that so snap out of it and come back with us!" he demanded.

Hearing Inuyasha's words bouncing around in her mind was slowly poisoning her. As always he used his words to weaken, trick, and lie to her. She wasn't going to take it anymore. "Shut up! Just shut the hell up, Inuyasha!" she nearly screamed. "I told you before that I'm going to stick with my choices not matter what you do or say! I'm just so tired of you trying to play with my feelings. I've forgiven you for all the wrong you've done to me and now I just want to be happy. Why won't you just let me be happy?" her eyes teared up as she glared at him.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Happy! You think this is happiness, Kagome? Don't be stupid! You can never be happy with him!"

Bankotsu clenched his fists tightly. "Leave her the hell alone, Inuyasha! Stop trying to torture her!" he intervened.

He laughed. "Torture her with what? The truth? She needs to know that this little fairytale won't have a happy ending, even you know that!" he said, trying to convince the mercenary as well.

"Just leave, Inuyasha! I'm happy, I just want to live my life happily with Bankotsu and if you can't accept that then I'm sorry! You've made your point, but I'm not going with you!" she said firmly.

Inuyasha sneered at her response. He wasn't going to stop until she succumbed to him and realized that she was wrong. "You honestly think you have a life…with him?" he said with disbelief. "He's a walking corpse! Even when I'm with Kikyo I realize that much! Heh! I bet you were even dumb enough to think that you'll be able to settle down and have a family with him, weren't you? Get real and open your eyes!" he yelled.

Unable to endure more any more of the angry hanyou's words Bankotsu finally drew his infamous halberd from the dirt and pointed it directly at Inuyasha. He smirked and said, "You're full of shit half-breed! What do you expect to gain from this? You stalk her every chance you get and when you finally get close to her all you can do is scold and belittle her. You're pathetic!"

Inuyasha sneered angrily. "Oh really? What the hell does that make you?" he retorted.

Bankotsu looked over to Kagome, who seemed extremely withdrawn at the moment with a dejected expression gracing her features. "You still don't get it do you? The reason Kagome left you in the first place is because you refuse to understand her feelings. You're selfish, Inuyasha…it always has to be about you doesn't it? What you want, how you feel, what you desire…never once did you think about her feelings. I'm sick of it!" he declared.

Inuyasha held his sword up, expecting to get a good fight out of the specter mercenary. "Heh, and I'm sick of you trying to play the hero! I bet once she has her guard down you'll show your true colors once again." he paused as he glanced in Kagome's direction. He could tell from her expression that she was fighting back tears. A tinge of guilt passed through him as he finally realized how much emotional pain he was causing her. He too wanted for her to be happy again, but he would rather see the world end than for her happiness to be achieved with someone other than him. "Now let's go you bastard!" he challenged.

It was a sad sight to see. He was never one to back away from a challenge, but he refused to sink down to the hanyou's level. Bankotsu hoisted his Banryuu onto his shoulder and shook his head. "I don't have time to play around. You're in way over your head if you think you can win Kagome back like this. That is what you're after right?" he said, hitting the nail on the head with his last statement.

Inuyasha only glared at him.

The young mercenary smirked. "Well then, when you've finally figured out what you're really fighting for you can come pawing at my door and then we'll play, mutt. Until then, you'd better stay the hell away from Kagome." he threatened, giving Inuyasha a deadly glare.

Inuyasha bit back his words of anger and silently heeded his warning. Watching the two of them leave boiled his blood. Bankotsu was right, he was selfish, but what he didn't know was the lengths he would go through to obtain what he wanted.

It was now dusk, and once again Inuyasha was a no show. Earlier in the day he had said he was going to run ahead to see how far the next village was, but he never returned. It was typical.

The small campfire crackled weakly as it was going to die out soon, but no one cared. Shippo tossed and turned on the ground grumbling something in his sleep. He let out a small grunt of annoyance as he sat up abruptly. "I'm hungry!" he cried out. "Stupid Inuyasha, he lied to us again! I hate him!" he declared.

Miroku put a hand on the small fox demon's head. "Easy Shippo, I'm sure Inuyasha is on his way back, perhaps some demons tied him up…or something." he assured.

"Enough Miroku!" the angry demon slayer yelled.

Miroku looked over to her in surprise. "Sango, what's upsetting you?" he asked. She was sitting on the cool grass with her knees drawn to her chest quietly before her sudden outburst.

Sango averted her eyes to the side while nibbling on her bottom lip in frustration. "This is the final straw! We have to take action now, Miroku, or he'll continue on like this! I can't deal with it!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah, me too!" Shippo cosigned while crossing his little arms across his chest.

Miroku sighed heavily and shook his head. Perhaps they were right. Maybe it was time for him to stop vouching for the hanyou and follow his gut instinct. It would pain him for a moment, but even he with all the patience in the world knew when procrastination was severely setting them back. "Well, I guess…you're right. We'll have to tell him…"

"Tell me what?" Inuyasha asked, jumping out of a nearby tree above them. It was silent for a moment as he looked over all of their faces. They seemed pissed.

When no one would speak up, Sango took the initiative to tell Inuyasha exactly what was on her mind. She stood from the grass and stared at him intently. "This is it, Inuyasha…it's time for us to…" Before she could finish Miroku had moved over to her quickly and clamped a hand over her mouth.

The monk laughed sheepishly. "Heh, despite Sango's angry disposition, what she's trying to say is that it's time for us to decide what our next course of action is…in order to hunt down Naraku." he lied. Sango fidgeted in his grasp trying to protest, but her words were only muffled by his hand.

Inuyasha eyed them strangely. He had a feeling that something else was on their minds but he decided to ignore it for now. "Keh, whatever. Look, I found a village about a half hour away from here. We should arrive a little after nightfall if we get a move on now." he explained.

They all just stared at him in guffaw.

Inuyasha grunted in annoyance. "Well, are we moving or what?"

"Uh, yeah let's head out!" Miroku agreed.

Inuyasha whipped away from them with his platinum hair fluttering in the breeze and began walking towards their destination.

Shippo shuffled after him angrily. "You're a real jerk, Inuyasha! There'd better be some food at this village! You hear me? Hey are you listening to me you big idiot!"

Once Miroku believed the hanyou was out of earshot he finally let Sango go. Just as he expected the demon slayer faced him with a scowl on her face. "Take it easy, Sango. I still have faith in Inuyasha. I know you're tired of waiting around for him, but I know he'll come around for us in the end. He's still hurting and he doesn't know how to cope with his emotions…I don't want to give up on him just yet." he said sincerely. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gazed into her eyes. "Well, will you stay?"

Sango wanted to slap him and scream at him for putting up with Inuyasha's bullshit time and time again, but it warmed her heart to see how patient and caring he was. She sighed and let a small smile grace her once angry face. "What am I going to do with you, Miroku?" she said. She leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on his lips.

When she pulled away from him her face was flushed. Miroku just stared at her in awe.

Sango lifted her Hiraikotsu onto her back and began walking. "We'd better get a move on if we want to keep up with Inuyasha." she called back to him.

Miroku snapped out of his reverie and gathered his thoughts. He cleared his throat. " Right!" he responded as he followed her in tow. 'Wow, what a woman!'

Author's Note: Hmm, originally I was going to let this story take the route of an action/adventure journey to destroy Naraku, but that's what the anime/manga is for, right? Now I'm tempted to make this more of a romance/love triangle, but I'll see… Sorry for the long wait again!:( Thanks for readng! R&R


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:...Not even going to come up with any reasons for my horrid skills at updating on here, but here are a few... 1. Forgot my password...again, had to import stories from a backup disc, and you know...life happened...life! So so so sorry about not updating this story sooner:(...anyway here's chapter 13! Enjoy R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters...it all belongs to Rumiko Takahashi!**

It was the first time in a long time that they had all eaten a hearty meal. They had arrived at a relatively small, but busy village in distress during their daily travels. She was nervous about their arrival in town, fearing that the notorious members of the band of seven would cause pandemonium, especially when they came parading in with their large weapons. Surprisingly, the village chief had mistaken them for professional demon slayers and asked for their assistance.

It turned out that the village was being pestered by a infestation of spider demons that terrorized them. Once they found the nest and killed the queen the village praised them and offered to give them anything they wanted. Before they said anything, Kagome quickly requested that all they would need was room and board for the night. It was their lucky night indeed.

After their congratulatory dinner, they returned to their single room for the night. The village chief apologized for not being able to accommodate them better, but in their case beggars shouldn't be choosers.

Kagome laid down on the futon in silence, staring at the ceiling lost in thought. The guys had gone back to the village chief's house helping themselves to the free sake he was sharing. 'The last thing they need to be doing is drinking, but I guess it's okay for them to unwind a little. We had a nice meal for once…I haven't had one of those since I've been at…home…'

She sighed heavily at the thought of her family. It had been almost five months since she had last been at home. She wondered how everyone was doing. Souta would be going to the fifth grade next year, she was so proud of him. She wondered how her mother and grandpa were faring as well. She didn't even want to think about school, every time she thought about how far behind she was it put a knot in her stomach.

The door slid open and she looked over to the side to see who was entering. To her surprise it was Suikotsu. She sat up and said, "Oh, hey, where are the others?"

Suikotsu sat down in a corner with a long yawn erupting from his mouth. His raven hair was slightly messed up and his eyes were droopy. "They're still at the village chief's house…he's quite the drunkard and big brother and Jakotsu have no problem keeping up with him." he told her.

Kagome shook her head. In her time those two weren't even old enough to drink, things really were different in the feudal era. "Hm, I hope they don't get sick…they'll probably be hung-over in the morning." She laughed.

Suikotsu chuckled. "Jakotsu, maybe, but Bankotsu always holds his liquor. They won't be sick…just very loud."

If that was the case they were in for a long night. Kagome sighed again and laid back down on the futon.

Suikotsu glanced over in her direction. She seemed down about something, he didn't really know if it was his place to ask, but he did anyway. "Is there something troubling you, Kagome?"

Kagome was slightly surprised by his question. She and Suikotsu rarely spoke one on one and it was even stranger that he was concerned about her. "Um, well it's nothing serious. I was just thinking about my family…back in my time. It seems like forever since I last saw them." she confessed.

Suikotsu closed his eyes. "Hm, you mentioned once that you use a well to get home, right? Then it should be easy…where is it exactly?" He felt bad for the girl if she missed her family, but he was surprised that she waited so long to actually say something about it.

"Inuyasha's Forest…well that's what the villager's named it. Don't worry about it…it's a long way from here." Kagome said with a small yawn. "Well good night, Suikotsu."

"Good night." he replied.

It was later into the evening when they finally arrived at the village, much later. When they inquired about a room to sleep in for the evening they were told by the village chief's wife that they had given their last room away to a group of traveling demon slayers, who earlier had extinguished the pesky spider demons in the village. All they were offered was a night in their horse stables with a meal of steamed rice and tea. It was a take it or leave it deal and of course they took it.

In the horse stables, Inuyasha seemed rather uneasy all of the sudden. Perhaps he was claustrophobic. Miroku tried to get as comfortable as possible on the hay so that he could lay back and relax. Sango did the same. He was surprised that she wasn't complaining about the situation, but at least they got a meal. Miroku looked over to Inuyasha once more in confusion. "Hey, why are you pacing about…the smell, is it bothering you?" There was a slight stench of the horses lingering in the stables, but it didn't smell bad to them, but with Inuyasha's sense of smell it could be a nuisance.

Inuyasha stood by the stable door with his amber eyes scanning the area furtively. 'The stench is especially strong in this area, those bastards are here…and Kagome. This village must be full of idiots if they thought those vicious murderers were demon slayers!' he thought.

"Inuyasha? Is there something wrong?" the monk asked.

Inuyasha was so lost in thought that he hadn't even heard Miroku the first time. He turned to the monk and gave him a smug smile. "Yeah, I'm just making sure there's no suspicious activity outside." he said to get him off of his back.

"Ah, don't worry my friend. This is a village full of fine people, rest assured." Miroku said. "You should get some rest, you look uneasy."

Inuyasha sat down by the door and propped himself against the wall. Once everyone was quiet he'd be able to hear what was going on with Bankotsu and his crew.

It was a little past midnight, Kagome and Suikotsu were sleeping soundly in the small room, dimly lit by a lone candle. Their silence was abruptly ended when the dynamic duo came stumbling in with raucous and unruly laughter.

Suikotsu woke up groggily and looked at the two with a frown. Kagome heard the ruckus as well but simply turned to face the wall. She hadn't had much experience with dealing with drunk people, well except that one time her grandpa got drunk for New Years, but he just passed out.

Jakotsu had his arm draped around Bankotsu's neck for support seeing as how he was a little more inebriated than the mercenary leader. "We're back!" he announced loudly with another laugh. "You shouldn't have left so early, Suikotsu! That old guy had barrels of sake!" he said with glee.

Suikotsu grunted in annoyance as the drunken, scantily clad assassin crawled over to him and slumped his head over into his lap. Jakotsu reeked of alcohol, his eyes were glistening red and his face was flushed. Suikotsu lifted the man from his lap and propped his back against the wall. "Big brother, you shouldn't have let him drink this much." Suikotsu stated.

Bankotsu laughed. "Oh come on! He had just about as many bowls of sake as I had." He clarified.

"And how many was that, Big Brother?" Suikotsu questioned.

Bankotsu scratched his head as if he were trying to figure out how many drinks he had. It was a no go. "Um…well I guess he just couldn't keep up with me. He's alright." he assured.

Suikotsu once again propped the giggling Jakotsu up against the wall when he slumped over onto him again. "I see you're feeling well."

He was more than a little buzzed, but he wasn't drunk. He stretched and clasped he hands behind his head. "Heh, of course! A real man always holds his liquor." he gloated. His eyes wandered over to the sleeping Kagome and he was surprised that they hadn't woken her up. "Hm, Kagome really must've been tired…I'm surprised she's able to keep up with us everyday."

Suikotsu looked over to the girl. He knew she couldn't have slept through all of that ruckus, but maybe she went the smart route and played possum to avoid the drunken stupor of their comrades. "Yes, she has a strong will indeed, but I'm sure she gets tired."

Kagome opened her eyes as he said this. She lowered them sadly and continued to listen.

"Of what?" he asked quizzically.

"Of being away from her family for such long periods of time. I know it's hard to empathize, but…" Suikotsu stopped when he noticed how somber Bankotsu had become.

Bankotsu leaned against a nearby wall and crossed his arms. 'I'm sure Kagome wants to go home, but it sounds like a faraway place like some sort of dreamland. If she does go home, will she want to come back?' he pondered.

This was the last straw, Jakotsu was becoming more of a nuisance than he could bear. Suikotsu grabbed the man by the sleeve of his kimono and forced him to stand. "Oooh, where are we going?" the inebriated Jakotsu asked as he was being manhandled by his comrade.

Suikotsu dragged the man over to the area where Kagome was sleeping and threw him down. "Stay over here and go to sleep!" he ordered.

Jakotsu's head was spinning as he closed his eyes and he unknowingly curled up next to Kagome.

Kagome felt the man's weight pressing against her back and tried to scoot over closer to the wall without making it obvious to the others that she was feigning sleep. 'Why did he throw Jakotsu over here?!' She was now stuck between a homosexual mercenary and a hard place as she tried to fall asleep.

Suikotsu resumed sitting on the floor with back resting against the wall. He looked up at their young leader, who still seemed lost in thought. "You should get some sleep. You may not feel the affects of the sake now, but you will in the morning." he advised before closing his eyes once more.

Bankotsu cradled his face in his palm as his mind felt as if it were whirling. 'Perhaps I'm a little more messed up than I thought.' he figured as he sunk down to the floor. After some sleep he would handle things in the morning. If Kagome wanted to go home then he would make it possible.

**AN: Poor Kagome...she'll be alright! Inuyasha is a serious stage 5 clinger huh? Short update, but I'll do my best to update more often! R&R!**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Okay, here's another chapter...see I'm trying to do better!:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...nope!**

Sunrise had arrived much too soon, but he was ready the embrace the new day. The young monk woke up with a stifled yawn as he rubbed his eyes to wipe the sleep from them. He scanned the room and saw that Sango was still sleeping soundly with Shippo and Kirara cuddled against her . He looked over to Inuyasha only to see him in the same position he had last seen him in before he fell asleep. "Inuyasha! Have you not gone to sleep all night?"he gasped.

Inuyasha looked at the monk as if he were crazy. "Of course I went to sleep, you idiot! I just don't need as much sleep as you humans do." he explained.

"Oh, but why have you been posted by the door all night? If you sense danger I'll go scout the area with you. Well?" Miroku said as he walked towards the door.

"Keh, no! Why don't you go wash up? You're starting to smell." the hanyou said bluntly while wrinkling his nose.

Miroku eyes widened at his remark for a moment before he let out a small laugh. "Hm, well I guess an honest friend is a true friend."

"I saw a few villagers go into that shack in the middle of town and returning with buckets of water. I think you can wash up there." Inuyasha pointed out. In the meantime he had to keep his eye on Kagome and those mercenaries.

_'You're in way over your head if you think you can win Kagome back like this.'_

Inuyasha sneered simply recalling Bankotsu's words. 'Damn it, that bastard is only trying to anger me but…he's right. I do want Kagome back. I could easily take her away, but I want her to forgive me and forget all this mess, especially him. Just forget him, Kagome…' With his prying ears he heard them talking about Kagome wanting to go home and those idiots had no idea how to help her. 'Maybe if she'll agree to let me take her home she'll finally listen to me, when he's around her she seems so different. Kagome what has he done to you?'

He snapped out of his thoughts when the undead killer emerged from his room at the village leader's house. As a reflex his hand automatically flew to the hilt of his Tetsusaiga, but he relaxed his grip and continued to watch. The mercenary laid out on the front porch lazily as if he didn't have a care in the world. 'Smug as usual, the dirty bastard.'

It was the first time in a long time that he actually slept so soundly, but sadly he was beginning to wake up. Soft breezes of warm air repeatedly hit his face rousing him from his slumber even more. His eyes slowly began to flutter open and through his squinted, hazy vision he made out a blurry figure in front of him. He blinked a few times until his vision had cleared up a little more. His mouth fell agape in horror. Only merely a few inches away laid Kagome, who was breathing softly with her small fists curled in front of her.

Jakotsu sat up so fast that it made him dizzy. How dare she invade his space like that? He was sure that he was resting peacefully on the futon before she decided to steal it from him. Jakotsu bit his bottom lip in annoyance as he reached out and pinched the little twit hard on her cheek, causing her to wake up and yelp in pain. "You silly wench! How dare you breathe your dragon breath on me?!" he snapped as he stood up to leave.

Kagome, utterly confused with a sore cheek, gazed at him groggily in anger. "What the hell was that for, jerk!?"

"You two make it hard to sleep peacefully." Suikotsu grunted from the corner he was sleeping in. He preferred sleeping outside, there was so much space and one could seclude themselves from noisy comrades.

Outside, Bankotsu was stretched out on the porch when an angry Jakotsu quickly stepped over him and stormed off. "Hey, Jakotsu, what the-" he was cut short by the sound of the door sliding close behind him. He sat up to see an equally upset Kagome. "What happened in there? Did Jakotsu drool on you or something?" he joked.

Kagome rubbed her cheek. She had no idea what happened, but whatever. She would get him back when he least expected it. "It's nothing." She took a seat next to him on the porch. She blushed lightly when Bankotsu laid back down, this time with his head resting in her lap. She looked down at him and smiled as she idly ran her fingers through his soft bangs.

It seemed like the moment he laid next to her he began to feel better. It seemed as if the taiko drums in his head ceased and the world stopped spinning. Staying up all night drinking always resulted in him feeling like shit the next morning, but he never learned. "So, Kagome, I heard that you miss your homeworld." he stated.

She had recalled Suikotsu telling him so last night. He didn't have to do that, she would've told him…eventually. "Well, it's been a long time since I've been home. Inuyasha…usually takes me back to the well every two months, but with all that has happened…" Kagome said with her voice trailing off.

Why didn't she tell him about her dileema beforehand? She was way too complient and submissive to what others wanted that she ignored herself at times. Something told him that Inuyasha was to blame for that. He looked up at her and stared into her somber chocolate orbs as she gazed down at him. "You don't have to be that way anymore, not with me. I'd rather for you to speak your mind instead of keeping everything bottled in. Stand up for yourself." Bankotsu told her.

Kagome smiled at his words of encouragement. During her last verbal stand off with Inuyasha she completely locked up and let him trample all over her. She let him chip away her confidence, but it wouldn't happen again. "Thank you, Bankotsu." she said with a sincere smile.

Bankotsu smiled in returned. "Now there's the smile I want to see. Don't worry, I'll see to it that you get home." he promised.

Kagome lowered her face to his and captured his lips in a sweet kiss. She was so grateful to have him by her side.

Their moment was ruined by a loud scream…or more like a cry for help. They both snapped their heads up in alarm. Bankotsu sat up, instantly feeling dizzy again. "What the hell is going on?" He definitely wasn't in the mood for any more spider demons.

Kagome heard the loud screaming again and put a finger to her chin. "That voice…it sounds like…"

"Miroku, are you all right?!" A woman's voice yelled.

Kagome stood up from the porch with widened eyes. A woman dressed in a green, pink, and white ensemble came dashing from the stables with an oversized boomerang in her grasp. "Sango!" she called out, jumping from the porch.

The demon slayer nearly fell over as she stopped in her tracks and turned towards the voice. "Kagome? Kagome?!" she yelled out in shock. "What are you doing here?"

Kagome ran towards her dear friend and nearly knocked her down as she hugged her tightly. "I've missed you so much, Sango, but what are 'you' doing here?" she counter-asked.

A man's scream was heard again and Sango remembered that Miroku was in distress. "That's Miroku, I have to see what's wrong!" she said with worry and she turned to run towards the commotion. Before she could get a good sprint off, the aforementioned monk came stumbling out the well house. Kagome and Sango's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

Miroku, half-dressed and dripping wet came running over to them while clutching his monk's garb to his body. He stopped before them, hunched over huffing and puffing frantically. He looked up and was extremely relieved to see Sango.

Sango looked down at him with worry. "Are you okay? With the way you were screaming I thought something terrible had happened to you! Put your clothes on, the villagers are beginning to stare!" she snapped.

Kagome stepped forward to greet her old comrade as well, but she blushed as she noticed how he was holding his robes to keep them from falling below his waist. "Uh, hi, Miroku." she said nervously.

Miroku looked over to Kagome in surprise. "K-Kagome!? Then that explains why…"

"Oh come back here my sweet, little monk! I didn't see you clean behind those ears!" a high-pitched, gleeful voice called out from the well house.

A look of horror washed over Miroku's face again. He quickly ran behind Sango and grasped onto her shoulders as if he were using her as a shield from the effeminate mercenary. "I can't believe that sick, twisted deviant was watching me bathe!" he yelled.

Sango's face turned red as the half-naked monk grabbed onto her for his dear life. She snapped out of her stupor and said, "Look at the kettle calling the pot black! Get off of me, the villagers are really staring now!"

Kagome brought a hand up to her mouth to muffle her giggling. It seems like Jakotsu had a habit of terrorizing everyone in the morning. 'Poor Miroku, I'd be mortified if I caught Jakotsu leering at me while I bathed too.'

"Just go back into the stables and get dressed, Miroku!" Sango reiterated. She was beyond embarrassed and now even slightly infuriated. 'All this time we thought we were getting somewhere with Inuyasha and somehow he still led us back to Kagome.' she pondered. Sango looked over to Kagome and smiled. "Hey, I'm going to check on Shippo and Kirara, but we'll catch up later okay?"

Kagome nodded and smiled as she watched Sango push Miroku back into the stables forcibly.

From afar, Bankotsu watched in amusement as the whole mess began to unfold. That Jakotsu, if you didn't keep him on a leash he'd go rampaging through the village harassing every man he saw. A smirk graced his features. The mutt just couldn't stay away, but he was happy that Kagome got to see her friends.

As if conjuring him up, Inuyasha jumped down from the roof of a nearby hut and landed before him. He glared down at the mercenary with his cold, amber eyes. "You bastard." he breathed out.

Bankotsu didn't even bother to sit up to acknowledge the half-demon's presence. "Geez, you really have no manners, Inuyasha, no 'good morning'?" he joked. He feigned a sigh. "People just aren't as friendly as they used to be."

It nearly took all of his willpower to prevent himself from ripping the tongue out of that smart-aleck's head. "Cut the bullshit! I'm here to talk." Inuyasha stated seriously.

"You can talk all you want, but that doesn't mean I'll listen." Bankotsu replied dryly.

"Can't you be serious!?" Inuyasha snapped.

"I am." the mercenary simply stated.

His blood was near boiling now. He clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth together in annoyance. 'What an obnoxious little prick! ' he thought. How could anyone tolerate that cocky bastard's prescence for more than five seconds? He calmed his nerves again. "It's about Kagome, I'm taking her home." he said flat out.

Bankotsu smirked as he stared up at the hanyou. He seemed pretty damned confident in the statement he just made, but if he had the energy to laugh, he would. "Oh really?" was all he said.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Yeah, you don't have the first clue about where the hell her home is or how she gets there for that matter, so I'll be taking her back home!" he declared sternly.

Bankotsu shifted his weight and propped himself up on his elbow. "I see. You know that forest, where you were pinned to a tree for 50 years, it's quite the trek from here. So maybe it will be best if you take her there since you'll get there in half the time running on all fours, but I bet she'll much rather I take her seeing as how you probably want to get her away from me so you can badger and beg her to go back with you." he assumed.

Inuyasha began to scowl, but he slowly let a small smirk tug at the corners of his mouth. "Well, aren't you the sharpest tool in the shed now? I guess a little bit of Renkotsu rubbed off on you, huh?" he cracked.

Bankotsu glared at him coldly for making that remark. Surprisingly, he remained silent.

It was about time he was able to wipe that smug look off of his face. "You can think that if you want, but either way Kagome knows that I'll keep my promise to take her to see her family."

Bankotsu finally sat up from the proch. "Why don't you let Kagome decide for herself?" In the distance he could see Kagome approaching them hesitantly, probably shocked to find them having a conversation and not ripping each other's throats out.

Inuyasha turned to look in the direction Bankotsu was staring in and was surprised to see Kagome standing there quietly. He was silent for a moment as he was at a loss for words.

Kagome gazed at him intently, not really knowing how to react. Bankotsu was right about Inuyasha stalking them or rather her, but why? Why was he still doing this? "What are you doing here, Inuyasha?" she asked calmly.

He was feeling a little uneasy with her looking at him with those gloomy eyes of hers. 'Great, she still looks upset about what happened the other day, of course why wouldn't she be?' "Kagome, listen, I'm sorry about everything and I'm offering to take you home to see your family…if that's what you want."

Kagome stared at the silver-haired half-demon questionably. What was he after? Did he think that by being nice to her for only a moment will make her forgive him for everything he had done wrong to her? She averted her eyes from him for a moment. 'He wants to take me home, but how did he know-…oh wait, of course he's been following us recently and he probably overhead us talking about it. Inuyasha…what do you really want?' She let her gaze meet with his. "Are you serious? How can you even expect me to trust you?" she said flat out.

Inuyasha widened his eyes for a moment. He felt that tinge of pain in his chest again when she had said that. Even with his half-human emotions he felt that to the fullest extent. "Kagome, I don't know what to do." he said under his breath. "I…I'm sorry…"

Sadness glimmered in Kagome's eyes and Bankotsu noticed this. Even still, she couldn't help but to feel sorry for him, after all he had done to hurt her. Was she some type of emotional cutter? 'This is taking too damn long, she already told him no, so why the hell is he trying to convince her to trust him again? Why is she hesitating?'

"Well, half-breed, you heard it for yourself. She doesn't want you to take her home, now get lost."

Kagome sighed softly as she clasped her hands in front of her. She wanted to stand up for herself and send him well on his way, but her sympathy for him always seemed to get the best of her. 'I'm so weak. I must enjoy putting myself through this torment…maybe I deserve it.' she belittled herself mentally. "Inuyasha…I…"

Inuyasha only stared at her in silence, wondering what was going on through her head. 'Is she really thinking about my offer, knowing her she probably does want to come with me, but because of him…' His glare then wondered over to Bankotsu, who seemed slightly peeved. He smirked.

It was painful to watch. Even after their little chat she still had no backbone when she faced the hanyou. "Kagome! Take control!" he grunted in frustration.

Kagome looked up and gazed into Bankotsu's eyes, his words brought her back to reality. She then turned her gaze to the silver-haired dog demon with her fists clenched at her sides. "No, Inuyasha, I'm not going to change my mind. Please, stop following us, have some dignity will you." she said sternly as she strode past Inuyasha with pride to take her stand next to Bankotsu. She exhaled finally.

It was about time. He was beginning to think that she would actually take Inuyasha's offer over his. He was proud of her for not succumbing to his wiles. A smirk tugged at his lips. "Better luck next time."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth in anger and his hand flew to the hilt of his sword and he withdrew his Tetsusaiga and pointed it at the mercenary. "Damn it, Bankotsu! Let's go right now!" he demanded jumping into his battle stance.

Bankotsu grunted in annoyance. "It's bad enough that I have to endure your whelping voice, but now this? You're giving me quite the headache, mongrel." he admitted, cradling his weary head in his palm. He was still a little hung-over, not that it would affect his skills enough for him to falter in battle with the half-demon.

Kagome shook her head at the scene. Inuyasha was becoming such a nuisance lately and it was becoming unbearable. "Inuyasha…sit boy!" she commanded.

Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat as those two cursed words were spoken. The prayer beads around his neck began to glow and before he knew it, he face was forcibly introduced to the ground. "O-owww…" He breathed out in pain, blowing more dust around his aching face.

Bankotsu chuckled lightly. It had been a while since Kagome had done that, but it was worth it. Just when he thought the hanyou couldn't have it any worse…

"Oh…my…Inuyasha!" The scantily clad mercenary squealed with boundless delight as he hurriedly made his way over to him. "I really really really missed you! I knew that making that wish on that shooting star would be bring you to me! Oh how I've missed those fuzzy wuzzy ears of yours!" he rambled on.

Inuyasha peeled himself from the ground just enough to lift his sword up to keep the homicidal homosexual at bay. "Come any closer and I'll slit you from asshole to appetite!" he warned.

Jakotsu's smile fell into a forlorn frown. "Oh, you're so mean to me, Inuyasha!" he whined. "It's so unfair!"

Inuyasha finally regained his composure and exchanged glances between the mercenary leader and Kagome. He just couldn't understand why he couldn't sway her into coming back with him. It infuriated him just thinking about how he lost her so fast and to 'him' of all people. "Well…" he started.

Bankotsu, still cradling his head in his palm, looked at the hanyou through his parted fingers. "Well what? Finally giving up? Please do us both the favor." he said.

Kagome glared at Inuyasha, but remained silent. When would he get the picture and just leave her the hell alone? Even though he angered her, she couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. When he apologized there was a trace of sincerity, something she'd thought she'd never get from him again. Just when she was beginning to trick herself into having sympathy for him again, she tore her eyes from his.

Inuyasha let out a heavy sigh, feeling at his lowest. Could it get any worse?

"Inuyasha!" a woman's voice screamed. Everyone snapped their heads towards the voice.

Kagome looked surprised when a very angry Sango came stomping over to Inuyasha. "So is this what you call making progress? What ever happened to finding Naraku!? Why are you constantly leading us around blindly so that you can stalk Kagome?!" she said, enraged.

Inuyasha just averted his eyes away from the furious demon slayer.

Jakotsu snickered. "Someone's on the rag." he whispered to Bankotsu.

Sango snapped her eyes to the cross-dressed mercenary and gave him a look that could freeze over hell. That shut him up. She turned her attention back to Inuyasha. "Look Inuyasha, you can play these games all you want, but I'm done!" she stated firmly.

Miroku came running over to them. Sango had stormed out on him earlier after she began expressing her disdain for Inuyasha's behavior and he knew that she was on her war path. "Sango, just wait a minute! Remember what we talked about last night?" he reminded.

Sango balled her fists up. "Miroku, this isn't getting us anywhere! Inuyasha's stuck on stupid and if we continue following him around we'll be in the same category as well!" she said crudely.

Inuyasha turned away from them, tired of hearing the insults he was receiving. Usually he would argue with her, but he just wasn't up to it, besides why argue when she was right? "Fine, you guys don't have to follow me if you don't want to, go ahead and leave." he said plainly before leaving.

Everyone stared at Inuyasha as he walked off into the distance. Miroku sighed and shook his head as he glanced over to Sango. He cleared his throat.

Sango gave him a sidelong glare and said, "Don't even think about it, Miroku! I'm not in the mood!" She then stormed off back into the direction of the stables.

There was still a looming silence amongst everyone as the whole scene played out. No one really knew how to react to the situation at the moment. Kagome clasped her hands together and sighed to herself. 'This is terrible…Miroku and the others have split away from Inuyasha as well. He must feel terrible, even if doesn't show it…no I can't feel sorry for him anymore…' She felt a hand resting on her shoulder and she looked back at the person, who was none other than Bankotsu trying to offer her some comfort. She smiled softly.

The silence was broken when a door slid open and close from the guest room. It was none other than Suikotsu finally emerging from the room after what seemed like forever. He said nothing as he glanced around at his comrades, plus the monk who seemed a bit dumfounded at the moment.

Jakotsu stepped towards him. "Geez Suikotsu, you'd probably sleep through a whole war if you could!" he cracked.

Suikotsu grunted to himself. If only he was sleeping through all that noise; the monk screaming, the bickering between Inuyasha and Bankotsu, and the yells from the pissed off demon slayer. He just wasn't meant to sleep peacefully so he figured he would wait until the whole mess subsided before he would try to start his day no matter how sleep depraved he was. He ignored everyone else save for Bankotsu. "I'm going to the well house."

Bankotsu just nodded. He then shifted his gazed over to the monk, who seemed to be standing around awkwardly. He was going to say something until Kagome walked over to him and spoke to him in a hushed voice.

Miroku could tell that Kagome was worried about them, but they would be fine. Even though he was sure that Inuyasha would probably return once everything blew over. He was surprised that Kagome would actually worry about the hanyou considering how horrid he had been to her and her newfound friends. "We're just going through a few rough patches, but once we all talk it through I'm sure we can fix this. " he assured her optimistically as usual. "I'd better go check on Sango…she's probably still upset." With that said he took off in the direction Sango previously stormed off in.

Kagome turned to face Bankotsu and Jakotsu, who were just staring at her. She remained silent.

Jakostu clapped his hands together in excitement. "Now that Inuyasha is free from his pesky friends I can finally have some one on one time with him! Just think, I can finally battle him without one of those annoying wretches interrupting us!" he babbled delusively. His grin grew wider as he wandered off, undoubtedly fantasizing about Inuyasha.

Bankotsu just shook his head at Jakotsu's words. Well, whatever made him happy. His attention was now focused on Kagome. She seemed upset as well. "Are you okay?" he asked. If she were upset or worried he definitely didn't want her to be because of that foolish half breed.

She shook her head. "I'm so worried about Miroku and the others. They're strong on their own, but I hope they don't think they'll be able to make it without Inuyasha for too long. And though I don't want to…I feel sorry for Inuyasha too, only because he's too stupid to realize when he needs to swallow his pride."

Bankotsu walked over to her and draped an arm around her shoulders. "Ha don't worry, that half breed will realize his mistakes soon enough and come running back to his friends, look he always came running back to you, didn't he? Inuyasha just can't stand to be on his own…besides what's a dog without his pack?" he said.

Even though his words were a bit insulting to the hanyou, they were true. It surprised her at how insightful he could be, he barely knew Inuyasha yet that's exactly how his personality was. Maybe Bankotsu and Inuyasha had a little more in common than they'd like to admit. Kagome turned to Bankotsu and placed her hands on his chest as she stared up into his cerulean eyes. "I'm going to go see how they're doing. " she stated.

"Alright," he simply replied. "I'll wait for you."

Kagome smiled and stood on the tips of her toes to give him a chaste kiss on the lips before running off.

**AN: I feel bad for Inuyasha, but Kagome and Sango are fed up with him! Hopefully the old Inu-clan can reconcile and regroup! R&R**


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